SUPRACOPHS · Design and synthesis of supramolecular copolymers for responsive self-assembled photonic structures.
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2016-09-01 → 2018-08-31
- EU contribution
- €175,420
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Design and synthesis of supramolecular copolymers for responsive self-assembled photonic structures.
SUPRACOPHS was aimed at introducing a new way of preparing materials with optical properties through the self-assembly of supramolecular block copolymers. The ultimate goal of the project was to overcome limitations related to the typically used high molecular weight block copolymers and create a versatile and reproducible approach. With a growing interest in photonic materials across disciplines, the ability to prepare materials that interact with light and alter its properties in a cost-effective and potentially renewable fashion would drastically affect the study of their properties and optimization of the spatial periodic variation of the dielectric permittivity. SUPRACOPHS sought a solution to the inherent limitations of currently used block copolymers by eliminating drawbacks of the current approach, such as low diffusivity and the difficult variation of the spatial periodicity across multiple length scales. By connecting the polymer blocks through directive supramolecular interactions, the molecular weight of the components is decreased, while the blocks can still form periodic domains owing to their chemical immiscibility.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Based on the reversible bonds that hold the structural units together, supramolecular polymers gain technological relevance from the simplicity of their synthesis, while a constantly increasing amount of research is dedicated to the study of the unique solution, electronic, mechanical and rheological properties of these materials. An interesting aspect of these properties may arise when the use of such polymers in photonic structures is considered. Optical properties, such as reflectivity, polarization, iridescence, and transmission, rely on the spatial arrangement of the components of nano- and micro- structures and are a direct result of their refractive index mismatch and their wavelength scale periodicity that constructively or destructively interacts with the incident light. While the use of traditional block copolymers has been extensively reported in the literature, a leap forward in the accessible properties requires high molecular weight polymers that add complexity and significantly increase processing timescales due to chain entanglements. Herein we propose the use of supramolecular block (co)polymers with highly dynamic interactions that can circumvent such constraints. We intend to study the effect of polymer composition, molecular weight, and architecture on the periodic structure scale in order to achieve a fine balance between interaction and segregation of the polymer chains and obtain the desired periodic structures, such as double gyroids.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- UNIVERSITE DE FRIBOURG · FribourgCoordinatorSwitzerland
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union