Preparation and Toroid Formation of Multiblock Polystyrene/C60 Nanohybrids

Multiblock polystyrene/C60 nanohybrid block copolymers have been prepared with sequential atom transfer radical polymerization using 1-bromoethylbenzene and dimethyl-2,6-dibromoheptanediaote as monofunctional and difunctional initiators, respectively. The polystyrene/C60 nanohybrids have been characterized with gel permeation chromatography and UV–vis spectrometry. The self-assembly behaviors of the polystyrene/C60 nanohybrids have been studied. The multiblock polystyrene/C60 nanohybrids tend to form toroids in chloroform and to form spherical aggregates in the mixture of chloroform and methanol. Moreover, selective polystyrene/C60 nanohybrids also form toroids in cyclohexane. The toroids shapes and formation mechanism in cyclohexane are different from those in chloroform. The polystyrene/C60 nanohybrids are a new group of materials for toroids preparation and application.