Endowing Polymeric Assemblies with Unique Properties and Behaviors by Incorporating Versatile Nanogels in the Shell.

Abstract

Herein, we report an example of self-driven morphological transition and the unique dissociation behavior of polymeric assemblies. Polymeric nanogels were introduced into the shell of polymeric assemblies and used as a powerful platform to endow the assemblies with unique properties and behaviors. It is exhibited that the nanogel can host an intrananogel cross-linking reaction and thus contracts automatically to change the geometrical packing parameters of the building blocks, driving morphological transitions of the assemblies; the transitions are self-driven without any external stimuli. Additionally, when the nanogels in the shell expand, the assemblies dissociate into small fragments even when the core is in a frozen state; in existing studies, polymeric assemblies with a frozen core cannot dissociate, except the core becomes dynamic under the stimuli. Both the self-driven morphological transition and the dissociation behavior are unique and have never been reported before.