Temperature-Directed Assembly of Stacked Toroidal Nanorattles

Here, we have developed a new methodology to obtain a pure population of well-defined and new kinetically trapped structures directly in water, inaccessible by other self-assembly techniques. We have exemplified this method through the synthesis of stacked toroidal micelles trapped into a nanorattle with multiple and orthogonal surface chemical functionality. These unique polymer nanorattles result from a water-surrounded inner core (or yolk) of stacked toroidal micelles encapsulated by a shell of stacked toroids. The nanorattles were monodispersed and could be freeze-dried and rehydrated without a change in the nanorattle structure. Confirmation of the kinetically trapped nanorattle structure was through the release of the individual stacked toroids using a plasticizer. Our approach provides a strategy for the synthesis of unique nanostructures that have the potential to be coupled with biological molecules and probes capable of performing multiple tasks and functions.