Ultrathin Polymer Nanotubes Assembled from Side-Chain Amphiphilic Alternating Azocopolymers for the Potential of Highly-Efficient and Photo-Controllable Dye Removal
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
One-dimensional ultrathin organic nanotubes (UTONTs) are of favorable potential as absorbents due to their hollow nanostructures, high-aspect-ratio, large specific surface area, and tailorable functions. However, the development of polymer-based and stimuli-responsive UTONTs for highly efficient and controllable removal of pollutants remains challenging. Herein, we report the self-assembly of side-chain amphiphilic alternating azocopolymers to generate cationic and photoresponsive ultrathin polymer nanotubes (UTPNTs) with an average diameter of ∼548 nm and a tubular wall thickness of ∼2.8 nm. Owing to the photoisomerization of azobenzene units, a reversible transformation from the UTPNTs to ultrathin polymer vesicles (UTPVs, a vesicular thickness of 2.4 nm, a diameter of 115 nm) was achieved upon alterative irradiation with UV and visible light, proving the attractive photoresponsive feature. The proof-of-concept adsorption performance for both UTPNTs and UTPVs was evaluated toward the anionic dye Congo red, with a photocontrollable and highly efficient adsorption activity that was highly dependent on ultrathin hollow structures and electrostatic interactions. The as-prepared UTPNTs exhibited favorable adsorption capacity, with a large adsorption amount of 1248.3 mg·g–1 and a short equilibrium time of ∼6 min, greater than that of UTPVs (638.2 mg·g–1). Our work provides a simple strategy for generating stimuli-responsive UTONTs with desirable adsorption performance.
期刊介绍:
Macromolecules publishes original, fundamental, and impactful research on all aspects of polymer science. Topics of interest include synthesis (e.g., controlled polymerizations, polymerization catalysis, post polymerization modification, new monomer structures and polymer architectures, and polymerization mechanisms/kinetics analysis); phase behavior, thermodynamics, dynamic, and ordering/disordering phenomena (e.g., self-assembly, gelation, crystallization, solution/melt/solid-state characteristics); structure and properties (e.g., mechanical and rheological properties, surface/interfacial characteristics, electronic and transport properties); new state of the art characterization (e.g., spectroscopy, scattering, microscopy, rheology), simulation (e.g., Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, multi-scale/coarse-grained modeling), and theoretical methods. Renewable/sustainable polymers, polymer networks, responsive polymers, electro-, magneto- and opto-active macromolecules, inorganic polymers, charge-transporting polymers (ion-containing, semiconducting, and conducting), nanostructured polymers, and polymer composites are also of interest. Typical papers published in Macromolecules showcase important and innovative concepts, experimental methods/observations, and theoretical/computational approaches that demonstrate a fundamental advance in the understanding of polymers.