I develop original methods for nanoscale "artificial molecules"

Breaking the technical bottleneck of precise assembly control and low yield.
On September 23, the reporter learned from Professor Nie Zhihong from the Department of Macromolecular Science of Fudan University and the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers.
A breakthrough has been made in the field of "artificial molecules" preparation, breaking the technical bottleneck of the existing difficulties in precise assembly and control of nanoparticles and low yield, and finding a new method for preparing nano-"artificial molecules"
.
By designing simple chemical reactions between polymer ligands, the researchers realized the control of the assembly structure and physical properties of nano "artificial molecules", and proposed the original concept of polymer-induced directional bonding of nanoparticles to form nano-scale "artificial molecules"
.
According to Nie Zhihong, nano "man-made molecular" materials have significant advantages of precise structure and precise and controllable performance, which provide new ideas for the design and manufacture of new materials
.
Specifically, in traditional composite materials, inorganic nanoparticles are used as fillers to be blended with the polymer matrix.
This preparation method has relatively limited control over the interaction and spatial arrangement of inorganic particles, thus restricting people’s Performance exploration and practical application of polymer composites with precise sequence structure
.
Man-made "nanomolecular" materials use simple methods to achieve precise control of the interaction, spatial arrangement, and orientation of particles within the composite material, which is expected to obtain a new type of composite material with a controllable multi-level ordered structure
.
At the frontier of basic materials science research, precise control of the self-assembly of inorganic nanoparticles has always been a hot spot
.
Most of the existing strategies are combined with the rapid development of DNA molecular technology in recent years to pre-configure anisotropic and molecular recognition micro-regions on the surface of nanoparticles to mimic atomic valences
.
These pre-constructed nano-atomic methods restrict the further application of such nano-particle clusters in terms of production cost, quantitative production, and difficulty in preparation
.
Nie Zhihong said: "We found the design inspiration from the origin of molecular bonding, that is, the delocalized valence electrons in the atom form a precise molecular structure through orbital hybrid bonding, thereby designing simple, easy-to-obtain and reactive block copolymers.
As ligands, the uniform modification of inorganic particles as nano-sized “atoms” directly overcomes the difficulties in the prior art.

.
The nano "artificial molecules" prepared by us have the advantages of high yield, simple preparation method, etc.
, and have certain application and transformation potential
.
"Recalling the research process of man-made nanomaterials, Nie Zhihong said: "At that time, a simple method was to use two kinds of polymers with weak acid and weak base functional groups to graft nanoparticles, and first mix and react the two to form a certain degree of controllable Small clusters are further assembled to form a three-dimensional ordered structure
.
As a result, we have obtained man-made “nanomolecules” whose controllability exceeds expectations.
We have conducted long-term in-depth and systematic research on this, and gradually figured out the new assembly mechanism contained therein
.
"Nie Zhihong said: "After years of exploration, we have a deep understanding of the physical properties of polymer-modified inorganic nanoparticles in different environments; and how to design and use block polymer ligands to control inorganic nanoparticles in composite materials.
The assembly and arrangement in the system have some understanding of their own, which lays the foundation for the successful preparation of artificial'nanomolecules'
.
In the next step, Nie Zhihong’s team will focus on the programmatic construction of more complex and diverse “artificial molecules”, in-depth study of the physical properties of various nano-“artificial molecules” materials, and strive to fill the gaps in this emerging research field
.
At the same time, the team also Will pay attention to the intelligent response of new materials to improve the controllability of materials
.