Probing structure and dimensionality of hybrid mesoporous silica nanostructures

Polyion complex (PIC) micelles are obtained through the complexation of a multi-hydrophilic block copolymer with a micellization partner. They offer a versatile platform to modulate the structure of ordered mesoporous silica materials by adjusting the nature, size, architecture and functionality of each block. We recently made new key observations using PIC micelles for the synthesis of low-dimensional mesoporous silica nanostructures. During this beamtime, we want to elucidate the role of different parameters, including the hydrophilic copolymer concentration, block nature, length and ratio, in the formation of nanostructures with controlled dimensionality. To this end, we will performed time resolved in situ-SAXS and USAXS measurements to probe the interaction between the silica species and PIC micelles, as well as the kinetics of their concerted self-assembly.