In the Inorganic Molecular and Materials Chemistry working group led by Prof Dr Sebastian Polarz, Benjamin Botev succeeded for the first time in deforming various polymer-based nanoparticles in a targeted manner during the reaction.
These particles are usually spherical, as their structure imposes narrow limits on them. However, by using a magnetic surfactant, it has now been possible to produce rod-shaped polymer nanoparticles. Through emulsion polymerisation in combination with a magnetic field, the surfactant specifically elongated the nanoreactor droplets, resulting in nanorods made of polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate and polythiophene.
Another decisive advantage is that the surfactant can be recycled and therefore offers a sustainable approach to the production of polymer nanorods for numerous applications.
The work was published in the magazine ‘Angewandte Chemie’ and noted with VIP:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.202422439
