Controlled synthesis of cylindrical micelles via crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) and applications

Recently, crystallization-driven living self-assembly (CDSA) has attracted much attention for its ability to generate 1D cylindrical micelles and mimic chain growth polymerization using seed micelles as nuclei, as this process allows for the continuous growth of polymeric micelles with well-defined and controlled 1D nanostructures. Researchers have developed different techniques, including self-seeding and seeded growth, to form cylindrical block comicelles using the principle of living CDSA. This method is beneficial for the generation of complex nanostructures, such as pentablock comicelles or patchy comicelles, with very low polydispersity. This review sheds light on the living CDSA method, which can be used to precisely control length, shape, and branching during the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers (BCPs) in the solution phase, leading to the creation of monodisperse 1D micelles with a crystalline core and solvated corona in a modular fashion. This paper also highlights the growth kinetics underlying the synthesis of cylindrical micelles via CDSA and its application in various fields, such as drug delivery, optoelectronics, and catalysis, which have been discovered recently. Lastly, the prospects of CDSA and its potential impact on materials science and nanotechnology are discussed.