In recent years supramolecular chemistry has established as one of the most active fields of science. The most significant feature of supramolecular chemistry is the use of building blocks which reversibly held together by intermolecular forces, electrostatic or H-bonding. Therefore, the synthesis of supramolecular systems using different non-covalent assemblies provides some unique architectures and features which are extremely difficult to be obtained via covalent synthesis. One main application of such influencing supramolecular systems is the preparation of self-healing materials. Among various approaches to self-healing effects, reversible bond formation has become prominent in the last years. To achieve both acceptable mechanical performance and self-healing behaviour from a polymeric material, proper balance between covalent and non-covalent bonding is important. The covalent bonding gives a basic strength to the material while the non-covalent bonding generates self-healing effects in the case of damage. The main aim of this study was to synthesize an organic moiety which is capable of forming supramolecular assemblies in the presence of suitable counterparts, followed by its incorporation on to polymer matrix and investigation of the final properties. For reversible bond forming technique H-bonding is exploited in this work. 4-substituted-2,6-diaminopyridine is selected as the organic moiety as it has a clear DAD (donor-acceptor-donor) structure and thus able to undergo self-association or triple hydrogen bonded complex formation with respective counterparts. Chichibabin reaction was utilised for the synthesis and 4-hydroxy-2,6-diamido pyridine was synthesised as the key compound. Initially different derivatives of 4-hydroxy-2,6 diamino pyridine was synthesized and utilised towards the formation of supramolecular network with a suitable monomeric counterpart. Poly (butadiene-co-maleic anhydride) is used as the base polymer as it has the possibility to introduce non-covalent bonding sites through grafting reactions on the double bonds or on maleic anhydride groups. The free amine group present in the main compound was grafted onto the backbone of poly (butadiene-co-maleic anhydride) via reaction of amine with maleic anhydride group. The main design of supramolecular self-assembly within poly (butadiene-co-maleic anhydride) with a suitable counterpart poly (butadiene-co-maleimide), is prepared and used in this thesis. The miscibility of the two polymers is proven by the presence of a single Tg in the DSC results of the mixture and also by the formation of homogeneous films with no phase separation in AFM. However the formation of hydrogen bonding within the monomer was proven by 1H NMR, IR studies. Further formation of complex between two polymers was established from the results of viscosity. Also the interactions between the complexes exert a distinct influence on the rheological behavior of the blend. Lastly the reversibility of this supramolecular blend was assured by temperature dependent viscosity values. In the final part of this work, bromobutyl rubber (BIIR) is selected as the model elastomer which has vast application in the tire industry; as the inner-liner that holds the air in the tire and also used as rubber stoppers for sealing medicine vials and bottles The bromine functionality can be substituted with an amine group making it more susceptible towards the incorporation of different organic moieties. In this way, the derivative of 2,6-diaminopyridine having a pendant amine group is incorporated in BIIR. As a counterpart uracil is used as its H-bond forming ability with diaminopyridine moieties is well established and supported by different previous research works. The supramolecular network formed between these two monomers help to generate self-healing effects within BIIR rubber. Fig. 2 represents the supramolecular network formed between chains of BIIR. The self-healing effect of the rubber material is examined through the stress-strain experiments where up to 82% healing was observed when heated up to 70 °C. With increasing temperature better healing was observed whereas at room temperature a 40% healing tendency was noticed. It is also interesting to note that the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of this tailor made self-healing BIIR is identical with sulphur cured conventional BIIR.

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This dissertation contains four chapters with advances relevant to the fields of nanoparticle synthesis and nanoparticle self-assembly: a review of nanoparticle self-assembly, or “colloidal polymers”; dumbbell heterostructured nanorod synthesis; dipolar matchstick heterostructured nanorod synthesis; and self-assembly of dipolar matchsticks to form colloidal polymers. These chapters are followed by appendices containing supporting data for chapters two through four. The first chapter is a review summarizing current research involving the 1-D assembly of nanocrystals to form “colloidal polymers.” One of the major goals of materials chemistry is to synthesize hierarchical materials with precise controlled particle ordering covering all length scales of interest (termed, the “bottom up” approach). Recent advances in the synthesis of inorganic colloids have enabled the construction of complex morphologies for particles in the range of 1 – 100 nm. The next level of structural order is to control the structure of assemblies formed from these materials. Linear nanoparticle assemblies are particularly challenging to achieve due to the need to impart functionality to colloids such that (typically) only two sites are active per particle. An emerging idea in the literature which addresses this challenge is to consider linear assemblies of inorganic nanoparticles as colloidal analogs to traditional polymers. This conceptual framework has enabled the formation of linear assemblies having controlled composition (to form segmented and statistical copolymers), architecture (linear, branched, cyclic), and degree of polymerization (chain length). However, this emerging field of synthesizing colloidal polymers has not yet been reviewed in terms of methods to control fundamental polymer parameters. Therefore, linear nanoparticle assembly is reviewed in chapter 1 by applying concepts from traditional polymer science to nanoparticle assembly. The emphasis of chapter 1 is on controlling degree of polymerization, architecture, and composition for colloidal polymers, and seminal examples are highlighted which control these parameters. The second chapter is centered on a novel methodology to install ferromagnetic cobalt domains onto core@shell, “CdSe@CdS” nanorods. While the structures synthesized in this work were novel, the key advance from this work was the development of a methodology to separate nanorod activation from deposition of ferromagnetic cobalt domains onto semiconductor nanorods. As synthesized CdSe@CdS nanorods are passivated with strongly binding phosphonic acid ligands, and these ligands prevent direct deposition of many materials (such as cobalt). Synthetic methods must therefore modify nanorod surfaces prior to deposition of additional nanoparticle domains (tips). Previous synthetic methods for the deposition of magnetic domains onto nanorod termini typically combined activation of nanorod termini and metal deposition into a single synthetic step. While these previous reports were successful in achieving tipped nanorods, the coupling of these two reactions required matching the kinetics of nanorod activation and decomposition/reduction of metal precursors in order to achieve the desired heterostructure morphology. However, the presence of ligands used for nanorod activation can also affect the rate of metal precursor decomposition/reduction and the propensity of the metal to form free nanoparticles through homogeneous nucleation. Thus, simultaneous nanorod activation and metal deposition hinders modification of these syntheses to obtain differing heterostructured morphologies. In the work presented in chapter 2, we chemically activate nanorod termini towards cobalt deposition in a separate chemical step from deposition of metallic cobalt nanoparticle domains. First, reductive platinum deposition conditions were utilized to activate nanorod termini towards the deposition of cobalt domains, which were deposited in a subsequent reaction step. Then, the kinetics of nanorod activation during platinum deposition were tracked, and the platinum-tipped nanorod morphologies were correlated with the results of subsequent cobalt deposition reactions. Ultimately, controlled placement of cobalt domains onto one or both nanorod termini was demonstrated based on the degree of activation during platinum deposition. Cobalt nanoparticle tips were then selectively oxidized to form CoₓOy-tipped nanorods, which were a novel class of p-n type nanomaterials achieved over a total of five synthetic steps. Relevant supporting details for the synthesis of these dumbbell tipped nanorods are provided in Appendix A. The third chapter describes the synthesis of CoNP-tipped nanorods with a single, strongly dipolar, ferromagnetic CoNP-tip per nanorod. The key synthetic advance was the ability to activate a single terminus per nanorod without activation of lateral nanorod facets, which was vital in achieving these larger, dipolar, cobalt tips (rather than lateral decoration of cobalt onto nanorod lateral facets). These dipolar “matchstick” CoNP-tipped nanorods then spontaneously formed linear assemblies carrying nanorod side chains as pendant functionality. Activation of CdSe@CdS nanorods was found to occur through the deposition of small (< 2 nm) PtNP-tips which were not readily observable by standard characterization techniques. The finding that small (< 2 nm) PtNP-tips altered nanorod reactivity towards cobalt deposition emphasized the effect of subtle changes to nanorod surface chemistry. Relevant supporting details for the synthesis of these dipolar matchstick tipped nanorods are provided in appendix B. The fourth chapter is centered on the self-assembly of dipolar matchstick cobalt-tipped nanorods to form colloidal (co)polymers reminiscent of traditional bottlebrush polymers, with controlled composition and phase behavior on carbon surfaces. Similar to earlier findings in traditional polymer science, nanorod side chain length was found to significantly impact surface assembly of these colloidal analogs of bottlebrush copolymers, which provided a useful parameter for affecting surface wetting and phase behavior of nanoparticle thin films. This work was also the first demonstration of colloidal copolymers from the dipolar assembly of magnetic nanoparticles, where both segmented and statistical copolymer compositions were achieved. We then demonstrated, for the first time, that a colloidal copolymer with segmented composition can form a mesoscopic phase separated morphology which is similar to that observed for traditional block copolymers. This key advance opens the possibility of controlling structural ordering over still longer length scales by the development of methods to control phase separated morphologies in a manner similar to traditional block copolymers. Relevant supporting details for the synthesis and assembly of these colloidal bottlebrush polymers are provided in appendix C.

This dissertation describes a novel methodology to prepare, functionalize, and assemble polymer-coated ferromagnetic cobalt nanoparticles (PS-CoNPs) and cobalt oxide nanowires. This research demonstrated the ability to use dipolar nanoparticles as `colloidal monomers' to form electroactive 1-D mesostructures via self- and field-induced assembly. The central focus of this dissertation is in developing a novel methodology termed as `Colloidal Polymerization', in the synthesis of well-defined cobalt oxide nanowires as nanostructured electrode materials for potential applications in energy storage and conversion.Ferromagnetic nanoparticles are versatile building blocks due to their inherent spin dipole, which drive 1-D self-assembly of colloids. However, the preparation and utilization of ferromagnetic nanoparticles have not been extensively examined due to the synthetic challenges in preparing well-defined materials that can be easily handled. This dissertation has overcome these challenges through the hybridization of polymeric surfactants with an inorganic colloid to impart functionality, colloidal stability and improved processing characteristics. This modular synthetic approach was further simplified to prepare ferromagnetic nanoparticles in gram scale, which enabled further investigations to develop new chemistry and materials science with these materials. These polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles self-assembled into extended linear chains due to strong dipolar attractions between colloids. Additionally, novel dipolar assemblies, such as, flux-closure nanorings and lamellae type mesostructures were demonstrated by controlling the interparticle of attractive forces (dipolar versus van der Waals).The research presented herein focused on utilizing polymer-coated ferromagnetic cobalt nanoparticles as `colloidal molecules' to form interconnected 1-D mesostructures via `Colloidal Polymerization'. This process exploited the magnetic organization of dipolar colloids into 1-D mesostructures followed by a facile oxidation reaction to form interconnected electroactive cobalt oxide nanowires. This facile and template free approach enabled the large scale synthesis of semiconductor cobalt oxide nanowires, in which the electronic and electrochemical properties were confirmed for potential applications for energy storage and conversion. This work served as a platform in fabricating a wide range of semiconductor heterostructures, which allowed for structure-property investigation of new nanostructured electrodes.

„Researches of part joints“ Process of peg and hole connection for automatic assembly is analyzed in the work. Mathematical model of the parts connection was formed. Programs for simulation of the connection process were written using MatLab software. Characteristics of connecting forces variation and movement of the peg were determined. Parameters influencing lower loading of the assembly equipment and values of these parameters were determined. It was determined that probability of the connection process can be increased by selecting particular values of correspondent parameters of the connection process. Results of the analysis can be used for designing of new, economic, high performance and reliable assembly equipment.

The goal of the proposed study is to understand the morphology, physical, and responsive properties of synthetic polymer and biopolymer layer-by-layer (LbL) arrays using the inkjet printing and stamping technique, in order to develop patterned encapsulated thin films for controlled release and biosensor applications. In this study, we propose facile fabrication processes of hydrogen-bonded and electrostatic LbL microscopic dot arrays with encapsulated target organic and cell compounds. We study encapsulation with the controllable release and diffusion properties ofpoly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON), poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA), silk-polylysine, silk-polyglutamic acid, pure silk films, and E-coli cells from the multi-printing process. Specifically, we investigate the effect of thickness, the number of bilayers, and the hydrophobicity of substrates on the properties of inkjet/stamping multilayer films such as structural stability, responsiveness, encapsulation efficiency, and biosensing properties. We suggest that a more thorough understanding of the LbL assembly using inkjet printing and stamping techniques can lead to the development of encapsulation technology with no limitations on either the concentration of loading, or the chemical and physical properties of the encapsulated materials. In addition, this study offers new encapsulation concepts with simple, cost effective, highly scalable, living cell-friendly, and controllable patterning properties.

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (pNIPAm-AAc) copolymeric multi-responsive microgels demonstrate responsivity to temperature, pH, and ionic strength. A temperature-programmed polymerization protocol is proposed for the synthesis of large pNIPAm-AAc microgel particles with a hydrodynamic diameter of 2~5 μm. Immediately after preparation of concentrated pNIPAm-AAc dispersions in closed system, the average hydrodynamic diameter is smaller than the unperturbed diameter probably due to osmotic de-swelling effect. During the aging process, pNIPAm-AAc microgel particles start to swell while their dynamics slow down. The snapshots of phase behavior of pNIPAm-AAc microgel dispersions at different pH values are illustrated. The formation of crystalline phase should follow a nonergodic path in which microgel particles swell to the extent that they build up weak attractive interaction to allow them to associate while maintaining the opportunity of rearrangement to minimize local Gibbs free energy. The age-dependent thermostability of pNIPAm-AAc microgel dispersions suggests strong attractive interactions evolve between particles during aging-convoluted crystallization. Finally, to introduce multiple biological "handle"s on the microgel particles for biomedical applications, the Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-terminal alkyne 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, also called Sharpless-Meldal "click" reaction, is used to functionalize pNIPAm-AAc microgel particles.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 2008. / Title from title page. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online through Digital Dissertations.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [283]-300) and index.