Self-Assembly of Hierarchical Structures Using Cyclotriphosphazene-Containing Poly(substituted methylene) Block Copolymers

The cyclotriphosphazene-substituted diazoacetate homopolymer (polyPNDA′) (PNDA′ = hexaphenoxy-substituted phosphazene-containing methylene) and a novel poly(substituted methylene) block copolymer, polyPNDA′-block-poly(hexyloxycarbonylmethylene) (polyPNDA’-b-polyHDA′), were synthesized, and the self-assembly behavior of these polymers was studied in detail. A hexagonally packed aggregated structure was observed in the self-assembled structure of polyPNDA′, whereas a lamellar structure was observed in the microphase-separated nanoassembly of polyPNDA′-b-polyHDA′. These results indicate that a hierarchical structure composed of highly regular polyPNDA′ nanoaggregates and the long-range microphase-separated polyPNDA′ and polyHDA′ domains had formed.