This review summarizes the recent progress in the solution–state self–assembly of liquid crystalline block copolymers, including an in–depth understanding of the mesogenic ordering–driven self–assembly, precise assembly methods, utilization of these methods to fabricate hierarchical structures, and the potential applications of these well–defined nanostructures.

Abstract

With the development of nanotechnology, the preparation of polymeric nanoparticles with nicely defined structures has been well–developed, and the functionalization and subsequent applications of the resultant nanostructures are becoming increasingly important. Particularly, by introducing mesogenic ordering as the driving force for the solution–state self–assembly of liquid crystalline (LC) block copolymers (BCPs), micellar nanostructures with different morphologies, especially anisotropic morphologies, can be easily prepared. This review summarizes the recent progress in the solution–state self–assembly of LC BCPs and is mostly focused on four main related aspects, including an in–depth understanding of the mesogenic ordering–driven self–assembly, precise assembly methods, utilization of these methods to fabricate hierarchical structures, and the potential applications of these well–defined nanostructures. We hope not only to make a systematic summary of previous studies but also to provide some useful thinking for the future development of this field.