Self-organized systems are the basis for the emergence of intelligent life. A well-known example is the structure of our cell membrane, which consists of self-assembled phospholipids. The encapsulation of nanoparticles during the aggregation process results in nanoparticle-polymer hybrids, which on the one hand combine different advantageous properties, such as a high mechanical resistance with simultaneous high flexibility, in a single material and on the other hand can be produced quickly and thus economically through the process of self-assembly. Areas of application include among others the field of energy conversion and storage, nanorobotics, drug delivery systems, and as self-healing materials.

The aim of this research contribution is to highlight the process chain for the production of nanoparticle-polymer hybrids. The first step is the synthesis of the nanoparticles (e.g. silica via the Stöber method). By varying the ammonia content, the particle size can be adjusted specifically. For a successful encapsulation, a modification of the nanoparticles (e.g. with APTES and carboxylic acid) is necessary, which is verified by FT-IR and TGA. In particular, very hydrophobic nanoparticles must then be deagglomerated and stabilized prior to encapsulation, which is achieved by solvent exchange. Finally, to produce the nanoparticle-polymer hybrids, the modified and stabilized nanoparticles are mixed with a polymer solution of polysytrene-block-polyacrylic acid and then microphase separation is initiated by adding a selective solvent (e.g. water). In this step, the block copolymers self-organize into a defined polymer structure with the aim of interfacial minimization and thereby encapsulate the nanoparticles. It was shown that especially the size of the nanoparticles, but also the type of modification has a great influence on the hybrid formation and positioning of the nanoparticles, which will be discussed in detail.