Plumber’s nightmare construction presents itself as an assemblage the place all exits appear to converge inward — a plumber’s nightmare however an anticipated uniqueness for researchers, suggesting distinctive traits divergent from conventional supplies. Nonetheless, this intricate configuration was deemed unattainable, bordering on the realm of the unimaginable. Not too long ago, a analysis crew at Pohang College of Science and Know-how (POSTECH) unearthed clues from uncared for minuscule ends, reworking this dream into actuality. The journal Science not solely revealed this analysis but additionally spotlighted it as an article, sparking appreciable curiosity inside tutorial circles.
Professor Moon Jeong Park and PhD candidate Hojun Lee from POSTECH’s Division of Chemistry dropped at life nanostructures of block copolymers (hereafter BCPs), which had been beforehand solely envisioned. This research was featured in Science and revealed on the fifth of January 2024.
BCPs signify polymers constructed by linking blocks of 1 monomer with blocks of one other. Able to self-assembly, BCP’s craft various nanoscale buildings, discovering widespread purposes throughout fields overlaying semiconductor and drugs. Latest research have been vigorously exploring comparisons in optical and mechanical properties primarily based on BCP construction. Nevertheless, as buildings develop extra intricate, their thermodynamic stability diminishes, posing appreciable challenges of their manufacturing.
Amongst these buildings, the plumber’s nightmare, exhibiting medial packing of polymer chain ends, stands as an immensely complicated and distinctive formation. Whereas real-life situations of its manifestation had been absent, it was hypothesized to own distinctive optical and mechanical traits as a consequence of its distinctive channel construction, setting it aside from different nanostructures.
On this groundbreaking analysis, the crew defied expectations by turning the unimaginable into attainable. Whereas most analysis has centered on the principle polymer chains constituting BCPs, the researchers shift their focus to the inconspicuous, lower than one %, chain ends. They crafted di-end-functionalized BCPs by linking completely different molecules to every finish of the polymer chain. Consequently, the polymer chain ends exhibited strong mutual attraction, inflicting all of the polymer tails to coalesce inward, marking the crew’s profitable realization of the plumber’s nightmare construction, a world’s first achievement.
Moreover, the crew efficiently produced a variety of BCP buildings that had hitherto remained enigmatic, together with gyroid and diamond buildings. This accomplishment in materializing BCP buildings beforehand confined to the realms of creativeness and idea stands as a major feat.
Of explicit observe, this research’s significance lies within the conclusion that complicated buildings may be stably realized when potent forces exist on the ends, regardless of various changes made in BCP polymer composition and the principle chain’s chemical properties. This implies the common applicability and flexibility of this analysis for future research centered on creating various composite-structure polymer nanostructures.
Professor Alisyn J. Nedoma from the College of Sheffield, an skilled within the BCP discipline, remarked within the Science commentary, “It lays the groundwork for designing novel BCP nanostructures,” assessing the potential cost-effectiveness in creating nanostructures with desired traits (see the Perspective by Nedoma).
The research’s lead, Professor Moon Jeong Park defined, “This analysis has enabled us to ascertain a way for creating tailor-made community buildings in polymer BCP. It is going to function a platform for crafting polymer BCPs with various properties in nano-technology purposes.”
This work was carried out with help from the next packages underneath the Nationwide Analysis Basis of Korea: Mid-Profession Researcher Program, Inventive Supplies Discovery Program, and Science Analysis Heart Program.