Gyroid Nickel Nanostructures from Diblock Copolymer Supramolecules

Ivana Vukovic; Sergey Punzhin; Vincent S. D. Voet; Zorica Vukovic; Jeff Th. M. de Hosson; Gerrit ten Brinke; Katja Loos

doi:10.3791/50673

Gyroid Nickel Nanostructures from Diblock Copolymer Supramolecules

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Chemistry

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JoVE Journal Chemistry

Gyroid Nickel Nanostructures from Diblock Copolymer Supramolecules

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08:40 min

April 28, 2014

DOI: 10.3791/50673-v

Ivana Vukovic¹, Sergey Punzhin², Vincent S. D. Voet¹, Zorica Vukovic³, Jeff Th. M. de Hosson², Gerrit ten Brinke¹, Katja Loos¹

¹Department of Polymer Chemistry, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials,University of Groningen, ²Materials Science, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials,University of Groningen, ³ICTM - Center for Catalysis and Chemical Engineering

Overview

This article describes the preparation of well-ordered nickel nanofoams via electroless metal deposition onto nanoporous templates obtained from self-assembled diblock copolymer based supramolecules. The process involves creating a porous template and backfilling it with nickel, followed by the removal of the polymer.

Key Study Components

Area of Science

Materials Science
Nanotechnology
Polymer Chemistry

Background

Ordered metal nanofoams have applications in various fields.
Supramolecular complexes can be used to create templates for nanofoam synthesis.
Electroless deposition is a key technique in materials fabrication.
Understanding the morphology of materials is crucial for their application.

Purpose of Study

To develop a method for synthesizing ordered nickel nanofoams.
To utilize block copolymer templates for creating nanoporous structures.
To investigate the effects of system parameters on the morphology of the resulting nanofoams.

Methods Used

Selection of system parameters to achieve desired morphology.
Selective removal of components from supramolecular complexes.
Backfilling the porous template with nickel through electroless deposition.
Pyrolysis at 350 degrees Celsius to remove remaining polymer.

Main Results

Successful preparation of well-ordered nickel nanofoams.
Demonstration of inverse gyro morphology in the nanofoams.
Validation of the block copolymer template directed synthesis method.
Insights into the relationship between system parameters and morphology.

Conclusions

The study presents a viable method for producing nickel nanofoams.
Block copolymer templates are effective for creating nanoporous structures.
Future work could explore other materials and morphologies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are nickel nanofoams used for?

Nickel nanofoams have applications in catalysis, energy storage, and sensors.

How does electroless deposition work?

Electroless deposition involves the chemical reduction of metal ions in solution to form a metal coating on a substrate without the need for an external electrical current.

What is a block copolymer?

A block copolymer is a polymer consisting of two or more chemically distinct segments, which can self-assemble into various structures.

What is pyrolysis?

Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures in an inert atmosphere, used here to remove polymer components.

What are the benefits of using supramolecular complexes?

Supramolecular complexes can provide tunable properties and facilitate the creation of complex structures at the nanoscale.

What parameters affect the morphology of nanofoams?

Parameters such as temperature, concentration, and time during the deposition process can significantly influence the morphology of nanofoams.

This article describes the preparation of well-ordered nickel nanofoams via electroless metal deposition onto nanoporous templates obtained from self-assembled diblock copolymer based supramolecules.

The overall goal of this procedure is to prepare ordered metal nanofoams, starting from a supramolecular complex, polystyrene block poly for vinyl purine penedes LPH phenol. This is accomplished by first selecting the appropriate system parameters that would give rise to the double gyro morphology in supramolecular complexes. The second step is to selectively remove one component of the complex, namely penad sylph phenol, which forms part of the gyro matrix.

Next, the porous template is backfilled with nickel via an electros plating procedure. The final step is removal of the remaining polymer by pyrolysis at 350 degrees Celsius. Ultimately, block co-polymer template directed synthesis is used to generate well ordered nano porous metal foams with inverse gyro morphology.

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