Functional polymer colloids with ordered interior

Polymer colloids with internal ordering were synthesized using hydrolytic condensation of octadecyldimethyl(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)ammonium chloride (ODMACl) and a mixture of ODMACl and the trisodium salt of the triacetic acid N-(trimethoxysilylpropyl)ethylenediamine (TANED). The structure and morphology of these colloids were studied with small-angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, sedimentation in ultracentrifuge, and other methods. When polymer colloids are obtained from a single precursor (ODMACl), their local structure, molecular weight characteristics, and morphology strongly depend on the reaction conditions, while lamellar ordering remains nearly unaffected. Use of a mixture of cationic and anionic silanes (ODMACl and TANED) as precursors in hydrolytic condensation results in novel zwitterionic copolymer colloids with two-dimensional hexagonal packing. Interaction of the ODMACl quaternary ammonium groups with the three carboxy groups of TANED leads to replacement of sodium and chloride ions and formation of gegenions, resulting in a molar ratio ODMACl:TANED = 3:1 (each TANED molecule contains three carboxy groups). Due to their ordered interior, polyODMACl (PODMACl) and PODMACl-TANED colloids can be used as templates for controlled positioning of nanoparticles within these colloids. For example, lamellar ordering controls Pt nanoparticle formation within PODMACl colloids providing Pt nanoparticle alignment within the lamellar structure. Loading of PODMACl-TANED colloids with iron salts followed by pH increase results in the formation of iron oxide nanoparticles located within PODMACl-TANED cylinders.