Metal-bisligand coordination complexes are self-assembled supramolecules1. The water solvable metal-bisligand coordination complexes with negative charges on coordination centre can be regarded as negatively charged polyelectrolytes. This polyanions are found to form hierarchical self-assemblies with polyneutral-polycations block copolymer2. In this research, we report (1): Formation of spherical and worm-like micelles in poly(2-vinyl-N-methyl-pyridium iodide)-polyethylene oxide (P2MVP41-PEO204) /Zn-L2EO4 coordination complexes. The latter is formed by mixing 1,11-bis(2,6-dicarbonate potassium-4-yloxy)-3,6,9-trioxaundecane, L2EO4, with zinc nitrate. (2) Formation of coacervate fibbers in the mixture of Zn-L2EO4 and A-B-A type polyaminoacid block copolymer, where A represents neutral block while B represents positively charged block. This new class of self-assemblies are very interesting because of the existence of metal ions in the coacervate core, which enable carriage of metal ions with water soluble nano vehicles, and also shed lights on other practical fields.

Figure 1. Cryo-TEM images of coacervate core micelles formed in the PMVP41-PEO204/ Zn-L2EO4 mixed system at f- = 0.5.

References: 1. Vermonden, T.; Van Steenbergen, M. J.; Besseling, N. A. M.; Marcelis, A. T. M.; Hennink, W. E.; Sudhölter, E. J. R.; Cohen Stuart, M. A. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 15802-15808. 2. Yan, Y.; Besseling, N. A. M.; de Keizer, A.; Marcelis, A. T. M.; Drechsler, M.; Cohen Stuart, M. A. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46,