Nagoya University · Materials Science
Professor Atsushi Noro's research lab specializes in the design and synthesis of advanced functional materials based on supramolecular and block copolymer systems. The lab focuses on creating thermoreversible supramolecular polymer gels and ion gels through precise control of non-covalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding and metal–ligand coordination in ionic liquid media. Key research directions include microphase separation in block copolymers, the role of molecular architecture and dispersity in self-assembly, and the development of stimuli-responsive materials with tunable viscoelastic properties. The work bridges polymer chemistry, physical chemistry, and materials science to enable next-generation soft materials for sustainable and high-performance applications.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Supramolecular polymer gels are precisely designed physical gels brought together by reversible secondary interactions to form three dimensional networks of melt macromolecules. Generally, they differ from supramolecular gels because they are comprised of polymers instead of low molecular weight compounds. Recently, much effort has focused on designing supramolecular polymer gels and related materials with excellent properties; indeed, improvements have been made in their supramolecular interact
We report the thermoreversible viscoelastic properties of a supramolecular ion gel. Two building blocks were used to form “supramacromolecules”. An ABA triblock copolymer (Mn = 50 000, poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethyl acrylate)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)) (P2VP−PEA−P2VP), with a mole ratio of 0.1/0.8/0.1 as a telechelic polymer, and a poly(4-hydroxystyrene) (PHS) homopolymer, with Mn = 6600 as a connector, form a physical gel via hydrogen bonding between P2VP and PHS. The thermally stable, hydrop
A series of supramacromolecular ion gels were prepared from blends of a poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethyl acrylate)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (VEAV) triblock copolymer and a poly(4-hydroxystyrene) (H) homopolymer in an ionic liquid. The VEAV concentration was held at 10 wt %, and the H concentration was varied from 0 to 8 wt %. The solvent was the room temperature ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (EMITFSI). Above 160 °C all samples formed homogeneous sol
The effects of composition distribution on microphase-separated structures formed by monodisperse BAB triblock copolymers were investigated. Monodisperse nine parent BAB triblock copolymers consisting of polystyrene for A and poly(2-vinylpyridine) for B were prepared by anionic living polymerization. These nine copolymers were designed such that polystyrene volume fraction, φs, ranged from 0.1 to 0.9, and they were blended to produce samples with various composition distributions but with consta
The effect of molecular weight distribution on microphase-separated structures for both AB diblock and BAB triblock copolymers was investigated in comparison with that of composition distribution. Monodisperse poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) (SP) and poly(2-vinylpyridine-b-styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) (PSP) parent block copolymers were synthesized by living anionic polymerizations whose volume ratios were all designed to be 0.5/0.5. Three parent copolymers were blended variously with both number-a
Thermoreversible supramolecular polymer gels were prepared via metal–ligand coordination by mixing a poly(4-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethyl acrylate)-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP–PEA–P4VP) triblock copolymer and zinc chloride (ZnCl2) in a hydrophobic ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imidide. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed metal–ligand coordination between zinc in ZnCl2 and pyridine groups as ligands on P4VP blocks, even in an ionic liquid. Thermoreversible viscoela
Nonvolatile solvent swollen 1D periodic films were fabricated from lamellae-forming block copolymers with medium molecular weight by infiltrating an ionic liquid. A mixture of imidazole and imidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide as a room temperature ionic liquid was added after spin-coating of thin films of polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS–P2VP) block copolymers having an approximately 50/50 composition to create photonic films reflecting in the visible regime. Under normal condi
Highly extensible supramolecular elastomers are prepared from ABA triblock-type copolymers bearing glassy end blocks and a long soft middle block with multiple hydrogen bonds. The copolymer used is polystyrene-b-[poly(butyl acrylate)-co-polyacrylamide]-b-polystyrene (S-Ba-S), which is synthesized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Tensile tests reveal that the breaking elongation (εb ) increases with an increase in the middle block molecular weight (Mmidd
ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVCommunication to the...Communication to the EditorNEXTNanophase-Separated Supramolecular Assemblies of Two Functionalized Polymers via Acid–Base ComplexationAtsushi Noro*, Koji Ishihara, and Yushu Matsushita*View Author Information Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603, JapanE-mail: [email protected] (Y.M.); [email protected] (A.N.).Cite this: Macromolecules 2011, 44, 16, 6241–624
Nonvolatile, soft photonic films that reflect UV/vis light were prepared by enthalpy-driven swelling of lamellar-forming polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS–P2VP) block copolymer thin films with a neat protic solvent. These films are very sensitive to further swelling with the addition of a small amount of acid. Transmission electron microscopy and ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering of the films before and after the addition of the neat protic solvent revealed selective swelling of the P2VP p
We report a systematic study on preparation and morphology control of macroscopically homogeneous hybrid films composed of a block copolymer and a metal salt, where one block interacts with a metal salt by metal-to-ligand coordination. Hybrids were prepared by blending a polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS−P4VP, Mn=37K, ϕs=0.79) block copolymer and iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) with changing the mole fraction of FeCl3. To prevent the rapid cross-linking formation between P4VP and FeCl3, pyridin
Control of nanostructure formation by a diblock-type supramacromolecule via biocomplementary hydrogen bonding has been achieved. Two different homopolymers, poly(4-trimethylsilylstyrene) and poly(styrene-d8), that are end-decorated with complementary oligonucleotides, i.e., thymidine phosphates and deoxyadenosine phosphates, were prepared by using the phosphoramidite method and blended successively. Association behavior in a blend solution was examined with NMR, and a cast bulk film obtained fro
Preparation of supramolecular polymer gels based on simple molecular design was demonstrated by blending carboxyl-terminated telechelic polymers and poly(ethyleneimine), where balance of an attractive force due to hydrogen bonding and a repulsive force induced by phase separation between polymers has been found as a key factor of supramolecular gelation.
The effect of composition distribution on microphase-separated structures of AB diblock and BAB triblock copolymers was investigated at the molecular level by measurements of neutron reflectivity. Monodispersed three poly(styrene)-d8-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (DP) and three labeled triblock copolymers (PDP) and unlabeled counterparts were synthesized by a living anionic polymerization process designed to yield constant molecular weight with different volume fractions. The selective labeling me
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