Theoretical advances in molecular bottlebrushes and comblike (co)polymers: solutions, gels, and self-assembly

Ekaterina B Zhulina (1) , Sergei S Sheiko (1, 2) , Oleg V. Borisov (1, 3)

1 Institute of Macromolecular Compounds
2 UNC - University of North Carolina [Chapel Hill]
3 IPREM - Institut des sciences analytiques et de physico-chimie pour l'environnement et les materiaux

We present an overview of state-of-the-art theory of (i) conformational properties of molecular bottlebrushes in solution, (ii) self-assembly of di- and triblock copolymers comprising comb-shaped and bottlebrush blocks in solutions and melts, and (iii) cross-linked and self-assembled gels with bottlebrush subchains. We demonstrate how theoretical models enable quantitative prediction and interpretation of experimental results and provide rational guidance for design of new materials with physical properties tunable by architecture of constituent bottlebrush blocks.

Domaines: Chimie

Ekaterina B Zhulina, Sergei S Sheiko, Oleg V. Borisov. Theoretical advances in molecular bottlebrushes and comblike (co)polymers: solutions, gels, and self-assembly. Soft Matter, 2022, 18 (46), pp.8714-8732. ⟨10.1039/D2SM01141G⟩. ⟨hal-03871165⟩