In the past few years, my group has made several important discoveries towards understanding how nanoparticles self-assemble with amphiphilic polymers.  Based on these studies, we developed new hybrid materials with interesting magnetic and optical properties (e.g., �superparamagnetic polymersomes�, �nanoparticle microcapsules�, �multicomponent spiky metal nanoshells�).  Furthermore, we have incorporated functional polymers such as conjugated polymers and DNA into amphiphilic structures, and shown that their properties can be drastically modified through self-assembly (e.g., tunable photoluminescent properties of conjugated polymers, and enhanced binding properties of DNA).  In particular, our nanoparticle-encapsulating DNA block-copolymer assemblies possessed unprecedentedly high binding constants, demonstrating that self-assembly is a powerful tool not only for making complex nanoscale architectures but also for manipulating materials properties.

Amphiphilic self-assembly as a tool to control the organization and properties of functional nanoparticles and polymers

244th National Meeting (2012)

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