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Description:

We present a straightforward yet highly efficient approach for controlling the orientations of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) lamellae by introducing pseudopolyrotaxane nanosheets (PPRNSs), a novel class of two-dimensional fillers featuring well-organized polymer brushes. Grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering reveals parallel alignments of uniformly flat-on PEO lamellae to the film surface, and the degrees of their orientations are closely linked to the PPRNS concentration. Via control experiments and comprehensive investigations of crystallization kinetics and morphological evolutions of nanocomposites with different PPRNS contents, we elucidate the mechanism driving lamellar orientation. PPRNSs provide additional nucleation sites for PEO crystallization, thereby influencing the crystallization kinetics. PPRNSs, acting as nucleating agents, accelerate crystallization rates, impacting crystal morphology, crystal growth direction, and crystallinity preservation. Control experiments emphasize the distinct roles of polymer brushes in offering nucleation sites. This study lays the foundation for diverse applications and further explorations of PPRNS-based materials in the fields of polymer nanocomposites, surface engineering, and functional material design.

Rights:

• Creative Commons BY-NC-ND Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
  

Keyword: Crystallization, Crystals, Polymer brushes, Polymers, Quantum confinement, Two dimensional materials

Date published: 2025-01-14

Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)

Journal:

• MACROMOLECULES (ISSN: 15205835) vol. 58 issue. 1 p. 451-458

Funding:

• JST-Mirai Program JPMJMI18A2
• New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization JPNP18016
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP19H00907
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science JP21K14477

Manuscript type: Publisher's version (Version of record)

MDR DOI:

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02113

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Updated at: 2026-06-11 15:20:59 +0900

Published on MDR: 2026-06-11 16:27:48 +0900