An efficient strategy is described to prepare electron donor/acceptor hybrid nanoparticles by anchoring a low band-gap polymer onto zinc oxide spheres. Functional macromolecules, bearing triethoxysilane or catechol terminal groups, were synthesized by polycondensation, using a ternary blend reaction, i.e. mixing two monomers and an end-capper. Importantly, and in agreement with Carothers theory, the amount of end-capper allowed to control the chains molar mass. ZnO spherical nanoparticles were then grafted with the polymer chains and TEM images confirmed that core@shell materials were formed. The surface morphology of these hybrid materials was anchoring agent dependent. When silane functionalized polymers were used, cross-linked aggregates were obtained due to competition between self-condensation of silanes and reaction with ZnO surface hydroxyl groups. On the contrary, well-dispersed core-shell particles were synthesized with catechol polymers as anchoring agents. This grafting onto methodology led to patchy nanoparticles on which both zinc oxide and polymer surfaces were accessible. The optical properties of the hybrid material were ascertained by UV–visible absorption and photoluminescence to show a specific quenching of the polymer fluorescence by the metal oxide.

描述了通过将低带隙聚合物锚定到氧化锌球上来制备电子供体/受体杂化纳米颗粒的有效策略。官能大分子，轴承三乙氧基硅烷或儿茶酚末端基团中，通过缩聚合成的，使用三元混合物反应，即混合两种单体和封端剂。重要的是，与Carothers理论一致，封端剂的量可以控制链的摩尔质量。然后将ZnO球形纳米颗粒接枝到聚合物链上，TEM图像证实形成了核壳材料。这些杂化材料的表面形态取决于锚固剂。当使用硅烷官能化的聚合物时，由于硅烷的自缩合和与ZnO表面羟基的反应之间的竞争，获得了交联的聚集体。相反，以儿茶酚聚合物为锚定剂合成了分散良好的核-壳颗粒。这种接枝到方法学上的方法产生了斑片状的纳米颗粒，氧化锌和聚合物表面均可进入。