On the structure of one-dimensional lepidocrocite titanate-polyethyleneimine hybrids

Yuean Wu; Shichen Yu; Tongjie Zhang; Mohamed A Ibrahim; Adam Donald Walter; Michel W Barsoum; Christopher Li

doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130578

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On the structure of one-dimensional lepidocrocite titanate-polyethyleneimine hybrids

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On the structure of one-dimensional lepidocrocite titanate-polyethyleneimine hybrids

Yuean Wu, Shichen Yu, Tongjie Zhang, Mohamed A Ibrahim, Adam Donald Walter, Michel W Barsoum and Christopher Li

Polymer, v 363, 130578

13 Oct 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2026.130578

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Abstract

A solution-based approach has recently been developed to synthesize sub-nanometer-thick, one-dimensional (1D) lepidocrocite (1DL) titanate nanofilaments (NFs). Upon transitioning from colloidal to solid state, these 1DL NFs spontaneously organize into two-dimensional (2D) layered structures. We recently showed that a moderate-molecular-weight (MW) branched polyethyleneimine (bPEI) can wrap 1DL surfaces in colloidal form and arrest the 1D-2D structural transition. In this work, we systematically investigated the effects of polymer molecular weight, MW, and chain architecture (branched vs. linear) on polymer wrapping of 1DL NFs. X-ray diffraction revealed the formation of hybrid liquid-crystalline (LC) phases, with a strong dependence on the polymer volume fraction. Three distinct phases— smectic-like layered, columnar hexagonal (Colhex), and isotropic—were identified for high MW bPEI; low MW bPEI failed to arrest the transition to 2D. Linear PEI-wrapped 1DL NFs form Colhex phases with reduced structural order upon drying. These results demonstrate that both MW and chain architecture critically influence the nanoscale organization of the hybrid LC phases, providing design guidelines for polymer-directed assembly of 1D nanofilaments.

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Title: On the structure of one-dimensional lepidocrocite titanate-polyethyleneimine hybrids
Creators: Yuean Wu - Drexel University, Materials Science and Engineering
Shichen Yu - Drexel University, School of Engineering
Tongjie Zhang - Drexel University, Materials Science and Engineering
Mohamed A Ibrahim - Drexel University, Materials Science and Engineering
Adam Donald Walter - Drexel University, Materials Science and Engineering
Michel W Barsoum - Drexel University, Materials Science and Engineering
Christopher Li (Corresponding Author) - Drexel University, Materials Science and Engineering
Publication Details: Polymer, v 363, 130578
Publisher: Elsevier
Grants: Understanding the bottom-up, scalable synthesis of anatase nanofilament-based two-dimensional titanium carbo-oxide flakes and their optoelectronic properties, 2211319, National Science Foundation (United States, Arlington) - NSF
Growing Polymer Crystalsomes under Dynamic Confinement, 2513217, National Science Foundation (United States, Arlington) - NSF
Resource Type: Journal article
Language: English
Academic Unit: Materials Science and Engineering; School of Engineering
Other Identifier: 991022199251104721

On the structure of one-dimensional lepidocrocite titanate-polyethyleneimine hybrids

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