Self-Assembled and Nanostructured Triblock Terpolymer Organogels for Infusion Templating

Extended nanostructured materials are abundant in natural systems such as butterfly wings and beetle shells with high interior periodic order that produces splendid optical appearances and multifunctional mechanical and interfacial properties. Inspired by the versatility, durability, and functionality of natural materials, material scientists are seeking synthetic analogues of functional materials in bulk phase with highly ordered three-dimensional nanostructure for various applications in optics, catalysis, water purification, and energy storage. Herein, we introduce a versatile and scalable concept towards the fabrication of bulk nanostructured functional materials. We take advantage of the self-assembly of synthetic triblock terpolymers with chemically distinct blocks that self-assemble into ordered continuous nanostructures as bulk materials. Each of the three blocks serves a distinct purpose: One block within the self-assembled bulk material can be selectively crosslinked with tunable crosslink density which enables the formation of organo-gels with controllable swelling degrees in various kinds of organic solvents with retention of the periodicity of the ordered nanostructures. Another functional block is chemically tunable towards attracting and depositing reagents and nano-sized functional building blocks, while a chemically inert third block acts as a freely swollen gel phase that enables mass transport throughout the bulk structure. The size and symmetry of the nano-scaled features are tunable through the block fraction, the molecular weight of the polymer, crosslink density, and solvent quality. The monolithic triblock terpolymer organo-gels can serve as a versatile soft-template for the creation of various functional materials attribute to the unique physical and chemical properties of the triblock terpolymer. Specifically, the varied affinity of the building blocks to solvents and reagents, as well as the tunability of the functional groups facilitate the mass transfer and selective chemical reactions in infusion-deposition templating, respectively.