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Faculty of Mathematics and Natural SciencesDepartment of Chemistry - Schmidt Group

Controlling the Architecture of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Nanomaterials

In order to create well-defined hybrid materials composed of nanoscopic inorganic and organic components, the conception of a well-defined interface is an important issue. An appropriate interface greatly facilitates the dispersion of the cores in a liquid carrier or a polymeric matrix. We apply and develop different functionalization protocols for metallic and oxidic surfaces that allow either compatibilization  or even the covalent attachment of organic molecules and polymers. A versatile approach is the creation of a macromolecular brush on the particle surface by surface-initiated polymerization.1-4 Other approaches involve the attachment of functional groups by alkoxysilane chemistry5 that subsequently allow e. g. a grafting-through polymerization. The latter results in polymer networks that are based on nanoparticle crosslinkers.6 Other architectures involve crosslinked core-shell particles and magnetic microgels.

1) „The Synthesis of Magnetic Core-Shell Nanoparticles by Surface-Initiated Ring-Opening Polymerization of ε-Caprolactone”, A. M. Schmidt, Macromol. Rapid Commun. 26, 93 – 97 (2005).
2) ”Magnetic Polymer Brushes: Towards Tailor-made Stabilization of Magnetic Fluids by Surface-initiated Polymerization”, T. Gelbrich, M. Feyen, A. M. Schmidt, Z. Phys. Chem. 220, 1 – 9 (2006).
3) “One-Step Synthesis of Functional Co Nanoparticles for Surface-Initiated Polymerization”, C. Gürler, M. Feyen, S. Behrens,  N. Mattoussevitch, A. M. Schmidt, Polymer 49, 2211 – 2216 (2008).
4) “Kinetic Studies of Surface Initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization in the Synthesis of Magnetic Fluids“, A. Kaiser, A. M. Schmidt, J. Polym. Sci Part A: Polym. Chem. 47(24), 7012 - 7020 (2009).
5) “Functional Silanes as Surface Modifying Primers for the Preparation of Highly Stable and Well-Defined Magnetic Polymer Hybrids”, N. Frickel, R. Messing, T. Gelbrich,  A. M. Schmidt, Langmuir 26(4), 2839 – 2846 (2010).
6) "Cobaltferrite Nanoparticles as multifunctional Cross-linkers in PAAm-Ferrohydrogels", R. Messing, N. Frickel, L. Belkoura, R. Strey, H. Rahn, S. Odenbach, A. M. Schmidt, Macromolecules 44(8), 2990 – 2999 (2011).