Self-Assembly of Bottlebrush-Linear, Rod–Coil Copolymers into Discoidal Nanoparticles

Abstract

Block copolymers can self-assemble into nanoscale objects with various morphologies, offering custom nanomaterials for diverse fields of application. However, achieving an amorphous 2D morphology through self-assembly in solution remains challenging. Here, we systematically investigate the structural requirements of rod (bottlebrush)–coil (linear) block copolymers for self-assembly into nanoscale discs by independently varying side chain and backbone lengths. We identify optimal polymer dimensions that yield well-defined nanodiscs with 50–200 nm diameters through direct self-assembly in water.