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Nanoparticles sized tens of nm with not only a highly complex but also a highly regular nanostructure, although ubiquitous in nature, are very difficult to prepare artificially. Herein, we report efficient solution-based preparation of narrow-disperse ABC three-segment hierarchical nanoparticles (HNPs) with a size of tens of nm through a three-level hierarchical self-assembly of A- b-B- b-C triblock copolymers in solution. An ABC HNP is composed of three nanoparticles, A, B, and C that are linearly connected; in the ABC HNP, the B nanoparticle is sandwiched between the A and C nanoparticles. The method for the preparation is highly efficient, because all of the A- b-B- b-C chains in the solution are converted into the ABC HNPs. Furthermore, the ABC HNPs self-assembled into Θ-shaped HNPs tens nm in size. Both the ABC and Θ-shaped HNPs, are highly complex but highly regular, and are novel HNPs, and they should be very promising for addressing various theoretical and practical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rigid low-molecular-weight polyimide with two carboxyl ends (CPI) formedpH-dependent multiple morphologies including dimpled-beads, porous aggregates and vesicles via self-assembly in aqueous media. This is a rapid and conventional approach to a series ofpH-dependent morphologies ofmono-componentaggregates based on a readily attainable rigid homopolymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]