Functionalized Soft Nanoporous Materials through Supramolecular Assembly of End-Functionalized Polymer Blends

Supramolecular assembly through complementary interaction between molecular subgroups belonging to phase-separating polymer species offers a great opportunity, not only for constructing nanoscale soft templates reminiscent of conventional block copolymer morphologies, but also for tailoring surface properties by facile removal of one of the structure components by cleaving complementary interactions. Herein we report the fabrication of a novel, organic, nanoporous film through supramolecular assembly of two complementarily, end-interacting, mono-end-functionalized polymers under solvent annealing. The film of end-functionalized polymer blends under solvent annealing yielded phase-separated nanodomains that resemble nanoscopically ordered structures of block copolymers, but that are more advantageous due to easily cleavable and exchangeable links between the phase-separated domains. The removal of one of the components of the precursor structure formed from the end-functionalized polymers through cleavage of complementary interactions allowed us to fabricate mono- or multilayered nanoporous structures in which the chemically useful end-functionalities of the remnant polymers are rich on the surface of the pores. The resultant, organic, nanoporous films with tailored surface functionality offer a useful platform for various chemical and biological applications.