Smart Nanohybrids of RAFT Polymers and Inorganic Particles

This doctoral thesis explains the synthesis and characterization of novel, smart hybrid nanomaterials. Bastian Ebeling combines in this work synthetic polymers with inorganic nanoparticles from silica or gold.
The first chapters offer a comprehensive introduction to basics of polymer science and the applied methodologies. In following chapters, the author describes in detail how he systematically tailored the polymers using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) for combination with inorganic nanoparticles.
This work also unravels mechanistic, thermodynamic, and structural aspects of all building blocks and reaction steps. The method described here is simple to perform and opens up pathways to new sets of nanohybrid materials with potential applications as sensors, in energy conversion, or catalysis. Readers will find a unique picture of the step-by step formation of new complex nanomaterials. It offers polymer scientists a systematic guide to the formation and synthesis of a new class of responsive nanomaterials.

Nominated by the Georg-August-University Göttingen (Germany) as an outstanding PhD thesis Recipient of the Richard-Zsigmondy-Prize of the Faculty of Chemistry at Göttingen University Contains over 850 literature references Offers an outstanding concise and comprehensive introduction to polymer science in general and the used methods in particular; illustrates systematically the step-by-step formation of new smart nanohybrids Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt
Part I Introductory part: Introduction and theoretical background.- Part II Experimental: Instrumentation.- Substances.- Part III Results: Analysis of microscopic images.- Building-block design.- High-pressure phase behavior of aqueous pNIPAm solutions.- Nanocomposites via polymerization from silica.- Nanohybrids of gold particles.- Future perspectives.- Conclusions.- Part IV Appendices.