Self-assembly of side-chain liquid crystalline block copolymers to anisotropic polymeric nanoparticles

Anisotropic polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted considerable attention due to their morphology-dependent applications in the fields of nanocatalysts, drug delivery and sensors. By introducing liquid crystalline (LC) driving force into NPs, the region of non-spherical shapes in phase diagrams can be broadened effectively, which attracts great interest of many researchers. LC mesogens can be easily introduced to monomers, such as acrylates and methacrylates, as side groups connected by spacers with tunable length, and then side-chain LC polymers can be acquired after polymerization accordingly. Among these polymers, amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) have been widely studied, attributed to their property of spontaneous assembly into NPs under appropriate conditions. In this review, based on traditional solution self-assembly and polymerization-induced self-assembly, the recent research into side-chain LC BCP NPs is elaborated in terms of the aspects of the types of LC mesogens, LC phases, morphologies and functionalities. Finally, we summarize recent progress, and prospect the development trend in the future.