Highly selective incorporation of SiO2 nanoparticles in PS-b-P2VP block copolymers by quaternization

SiO2 mesoporous materials were prepared by decomposition of a polymer matrix from nanocomposites that were incorporated with a SiO2 sol. Polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) was synthesized using living anionic polymerization and the P2VP block was quaternized for a matrix of nanoparticles. The SiO2 sol was selectively embedded into the quaternized P2VP domain of PS-b-P2VP diblock copolymer with a sphere or lamella morphology. Then the polymers were etched out by heating. The phase separation of the block copolymers and the SiO2 incorporated nanocomposites was observed by EF-TEM. The controlled mesoporous morphologies were obtained according to the block ratio of block copolymers.