Abstract
The conformation and dynamics of luminescent polymers collapsed into nanoparticles or polydots were studied using fully atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, providing a first insight into their Â鶹ӰÒô dynamics. Controlling the conformation and dynamics of confined polymers is essential for realization of the full potential of polydots in nanomedicine and biotechnology. Specifically, the shape and Â鶹ӰÒô dynamics of polydots that consist of highly rigid dialkyl p-phenylene ethynylene (PPE) are probed as a function of temperature. At room temperature, the polydots are spherical without any correlations between the aromatic rings on the PPE backbone. With increasing temperature, they expand and become slightly aspherical; however, the polymers remain confined. The coherent dynamic structure factor reveals that the Â鶹ӰÒô motion of the polymer backbone is arrested, and the side chains dominate the Â鶹ӰÒô dynamics of the polydots. These new soft nanoparticles retain their overall shape and dynamics over an extended temperature range, and their conformation is tunable via their degree of expansion.
