Surface energies and self-assembly of block copolymers on grafted surfaces

We present a theoretical analysis of the self-assembly of diblock copolymers on surfaces grafted with random copolymers. Our results demonstrate that the surface energies of homopolymeric components on grafted surfaces differ from the corresponding values for self-assembled morphologies. Moreover, grafted random copolymers are shown to adapt their conformations in response to the morphology of the overlaying block copolymer film to create chemical inhomogeneities which modulate the interfacial interactions. Consequently, the surface energy differences between the different components on the grafted substrate do not serve as a useful measure to predict the stability of self-assembly of the diblock copolymer film.     

Block copolymer morphologies confined by square-shaped particle:Hard and soft confinement

The self-assembly of diblock copolymers confined around one square-shaped particle is studied systematically within two-dimensional self-consistent field theory(SCFT).In this model,we assume that the thin block copolymer film is confined in the vicinity of a square-shaped particle by a homopolymer melt,which is equivalent to the poor solvents.Multiple sequences of square-shaped particle-induced copolymer aggregates with different shapes and self-assembled internal morphologies are predicted as functions of the particle size,the structural portion of the copolymer,and the volume fraction of the copolymer.A rich variety of aggregates are found with complex internal self-assembled morphologies including complex structures of the vesicle,with one or several inverted micelle surrounded by the outer monolayer with the particle confined in the core.These results demonstrate that the assemblies of diblock copolymers formed around the square-shaped particle in poor solvents are of immediate interest to the assembly of copolymer and the morphology of biomembrane in the confined environment,as well as to the transitions of vesicles to micelles.     

Influence of Grafting Density of Diblock Copolymers on Interfacial Assembly Behavior and Interfacial Shear Strength of Glass Fiber/Polystyrene Composites

To investigate the influence of the grafting density and the molecular structure of block copolymers on the interfacial assembly behavior and interfacial shear strength, macromolecular coupling agents, hydroxyl-terminated poly(n-butyl acrylate-b-styrene) (HO-P(BA-b-S)) were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization, and then chemically anchored on the glass fiber surfaces to form a well-defined monolayer. The phase separation and 'hemispherical' domain morphologies of diblock copolymer brushes at the polystyrene/glass fiber interface were observed. The interfacial assembly morphology differs with changes in the grafting density of diblock copolymers. When the grafting density is greatest, the highest height difference of the hemispherical domain and the largest surface roughness are achieved, as well as the best interface shear strength. It was also found that the copolymer brush with a PBA block of the polymerization degree (Xn) about 77 is the optimal option for the interfacial adhesion of PS/GF composites. Thus, the grafting density and molecular structure of diblock copolymers determines the interfacial assembly behavior of copolymer brushes, and therefore the interfacial shear strength.     

The segregation of poly(styrene-b-isoprene) diblock copolymers to the surface of a polystyrene melt: the effect of the ratio of block lengths

The effect of the ratio of block lengths on the interfacial partitioning of poly(styrene-block-1,4 isoprene) diblock copolymers from their mixtures with polystyrene homopolymer melt is investigated utilizing a series of copolymers with almost constant molecular weight but different compositions. The concentration profile of the copolymer is measured directly using the nuclear reaction analysis technique; a segregation of the diblock is found at both the air/polymer surface, due to the lower surface energy of polyisoprene, and at the substrate/polymer interface. No significant effect of the block length ratio on the free-surface excess was observed. The block molecular weights have apparently led to dangling chain conformations in the non-overlapping mushroom and in the overlapping mushroom regimes whereas the brush regime was not accessible; no indications of a real border between the two former regimes was found. Received: 20 July 1998 / Received in final form and Accepted: 11 September 1998     

Ginzburg number of a homopolymer-diblock copolymer mixture covering the 3D-Ising, isotropic Lifshitz, and Brasovskii classes of critical universality

The Ginzburg number Gi of deuterated poly(butadiene) (dPB) and poly(styrene) (PS) homopolymer blend of critical composition mixed with a dPB-PS symmetric diblock copolymer was determined from small angle neutron scattering. A 3 orders of magnitude change of Gi was determined between binary polymer blend and diblock copolymer melt. The strongest change of Gi is observed within the isotropic Lifshitz regime of critical universality occurring over a 3% range of diblock concentration and interpolates the corresponding Gi of the 3D-Ising and Brasovskii regimes. A Lifshitz critical point was not observed consistent with the proposed lower critical dimension d(LCP)=4.     

Melt brushes of diblock copolymer

Using self-consistent field theory (SCFT), we investigate the morphologies formed by a melt brush of AB diblock copolymers grafted to a flat substrate by their B ends. In addition to a laterally uniform morphology, SCFT predicts three ordered morphologies exhibiting different periodic patterns at the air surface: a hexagonal array of A-rich dots, an alternating sequence of A- and B-rich stripes, and a hexagonal pattern of B-rich dots. When the phase diagram of the tethered film is plotted as a function of A/B incompatibility, N , and diblock composition, f , it resembles the bulk phase diagram with the periodic phases converging to a mean-field critical point at weak segregation. The periodic-phase region in the phase diagram shrinks with increasing grafting density and expands when the air surface acquires an affinity for the grafted B blocks.     

Smart Nanovalves with Thermoresponsive Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymer Brushes

Nanochannels modified with stimuli-responsive copolymer brushes offer a smart nanovalve mechanism. The potential application of these special nanovalves is wide-ranging and includes the areas of drug delivery and signal transduction, as well as molecular machines. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study nanovalve systems that use thermo-responsive amphiphilic triblock copolymer brushes grafted onto the surface of the nanochannel. Varying the system temperature facilitated the extension/collapse transition of the copolymer brushes, which resulted in the opening/closing of the nanochannels. The results of the investigation of the effect of the grafting density and the composition of the copolymers on the conformational transition behavior showed that the composition of copolymer has a significant influence on the nanovalve system. A remarkable result is the effectiveness of the use of intermediate or relatively low grafting density in obtaining an ideal controlling effect on the nanochannels. Our work provides a fundamental understanding of nanovalves that utilize thermo-responsive copolymers, and guidance for the design of a smart nanochannel.     

Binary-component micelle and vesicle: Free energy and asymmetric distributions of amphiphiles between monolayers of vesicle

The real-space two-dimensional self-consistent field theory (SCFT) is employed to study the free energies of micelles and vesicles constituted by binary amphiphilic diblock copolymer AB in homopolymer A. With increasing volume fraction of copolymer AB, there are morphological transitions from the circle micelles to oblate circle-like micelles, to compound structure with inverted micelles in the inner center and micelles outer layer, and to vesicles. Special attentions are paid to the role of the copolymer AB in controlling free energies of the micelles and vesicles, by examining the effect of length ratio of A/B with the fixed whole chain length of AB copolymer, the length effect of A or B block with the corresponding fixed length of B or A block, for one component of copolymer, and the effect of different amphiphile compositions for binary-component copolymer system. The quantity η is provided to describe the asymmetric density distribution of amphiphiles between the inner and outer monolayers of vesicles, and to quantify the relative asymmetric extent of the density distribution between two species of copolymers in binary component vesicles.     

准一维共聚物的电子结构研究

在紧束缚近似下,建立了共聚物 (- PPP_x )—( PA_y)- 的物理模型,研究了组成共聚物的均聚物单体对体系晶格结构、能带结构等的影响,发现共聚物的带隙可通过改变均聚物的配比或均聚物之间的相互作用来加以调制. 关键词： 共聚物 界面耦合 带隙     

Self-assembly of block copolymers grafted onto a flat substrate:Recent progress in theory and simulations

Block copolymers are a class of soft matter that self-assemble to form ordered morphologies on the scale of nanometers, making them ideal materials for various applications. These applications directly depend on the shape and size of the self-assembled morphologies, and hence, a high degree of control over the self-assembly is desired. Grafting block copolymer chains onto a substrate to form copolymer brushes is a versatile method to fabricate functional surfaces. Such surfaces demonstrate a response to their environment, i.e., they change their surface topography in response to different external conditions. Furthermore, such surfaces may possess nanoscale patterns, which are important for some applications; however, such patterns may not form with spun-cast films under the same condition. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of the self-assembly of block copolymers grafted onto a flat substrate. We mainly concentrate on the self-assembled morphologies of end-grafted AB diblock copolymers, junction point-grafted AB diblock copolymers(i.e.,Y-shaped brushes), and end-grafted ABA triblock copolymers. Special emphasis is placed on theoretical and simulation progress.     

Radiation graft copolymerization of butyl methacrylate and acrylamide onto low density polyethylene and polypropylene films,and its application in wastewater treatment

Butyl methacrylate and acrylamide (BMA/AAm) comonomers were grafted onto low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and polypropylene (PP) films using the mutual gamma radiation grafting technique. The influences of grafting conditions such as solvent, monomer concentration, monomer composition, and irradiation dose on the grafting yield were determined. It was found that using dimethyl formamide as a solvent enhanced the copolymerization process. The grafting yield increases as the comonomer concentration increases up to 60%. Also it was found that the degree of grafting of BMA/AAm onto both LDPE and PP films increases as the AAm content increases till an optimum value at 50:50 wt%. The grafting yield of the comonomers was found to increase with increase in the radiation dose. It was observed that the degree of grafting of polyethylene films is higher than that of polypropylene (PP) films at the same conditions. Some selected properties of the graft copolymers, such as water uptake and thermal properties, were determined using thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology and structure of the grafted films were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, infra-red, and X-ray diffraction. Improvement in such properties of the prepared copolymers was observed which offers possible uses in some practical applications such as the removal of some heavy metals from wastewater. It was found that the maximum metal uptake by the copolymer followed the order Cu²⁺>Co²⁺>Ni²⁺ ions.     

Mechanism for the Self-Assembly of Hollow Micelles from Rod-Coil Block Copolymers

The mechanism for the self-assembly of hollow micelles from rod-coil diblock copolymers is proposed. In a coilselective solvent, the diblock copolymers self-assemble into a layered structure. It is assumed that the rigid rods form an elastic shell whose properties are dictated by a bending energy. For a hollow micelle, the coils outside the micelle form a brush, while the coils inside the micelle can be in two different states, a brush or an adsorption layer, corresponding to symmetric or asymmetric configurations, respectively. The total energy density of a hollow micelle is calculated by combining the interfacial energy, elastic bending energy and the stretching energy of the brushes. For the asymmetric configuration with a polymer brush on one side, the competition between the elastic bending energy and the brush stretching energy leads to a finite spontaneous curvature, stabilizing hollow spherical micelles. Comparison of the free energy density for different geometries demonstrates that transitions for the different geometry micelles are controlled by the degree of polymerization of the coils and the length of the rods. These results are in agreement with the experimental results.     

Phase behaviors in a binary mixture of diblock copolymers confined between two parallel walls

The phase behaviors in a binary mixture of diblock copolymers confined between two parallel walls are investigated by using a cell dynamics simulation of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory.The morphological dependence of the wall-block interaction and the distance between walls(confinement degree) has been systematically studied,and the effect of repulsive interactions between different monomers is also discussed.It is interesting that multiple novel morphological transitions are observed by changing these factors,and various multilayered sandwich structures are formed in the mixture.Furthermore,the parametric dependence and physical reasons for the microdomain growth and orientational order transitions are discussed.From the simulation,we find that much richer morphologies can form in a binary mixture of diblock copolymers than those in a pure diblock copolymer.Our results provide an insight into the phase behaviors under parallel wall confinement and may provide guidance for experimentalists.This model system can also give a simple way to realize orientational order transition in soft materials through confinement.     

Phase behaviors in binary mixture of diblock copolymers confined between two parallel walls

The phase behaviors in binary mixture of diblock copolymers confined between two parallel walls are investigated by using cell dynamics simulation of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory. The morphological dependence of the wall-block interaction and the distance between walls (confinement degree) has been systematically studied, and the effect of repulsive interactions between different monomers is also discussed. It is interesting that multiple novel morphological transitions are observed by changing these factors, and various multilayered sandwich structures are formed in the mixture. Furthermore, the parametric dependence and physical reasons for the microdomain growth and orientational order transitions are discussed. From the simulation, we find that much richer morphologies can form in binary mixture of diblock copolymers than those in pure diblock copolymer. Our results provide an insight into the phase behaviors under parallel walls confinement and may provide guidance for experimentalists. This model system can also give a simple way to realize orientational order transition in soft materials through confinement.     

Phase Transition Induced by Small Molecules in Confined Copolymer Films

We investigate the phase transition induced by small molecules in confined copolymer films by using density functional theory. It is found that the addition of small molecules can effectively promote the phase separation of copolymers. In a symmetric diblock copolymer film, the affinity and concentration of small molecules play an important role in the structure transitions. The disordered-lamellar transitions, larnellar-lamellar transitions and the re-entrant transitions of the same structures are observed. Our results have potential applications in the fabrication of new functional materials.     

非对称半结晶两嵌段共聚物的微相分离与结晶行为的模拟退火研究

利用模拟退火方法研究非对称半结晶两嵌段共聚物熔体分别在弱分离和强分离条件下的结晶过程.考察微相分离作用和结晶作用的相对强度对柱状组成的两嵌段共聚物平衡形态的影响.研究结果表明,当嵌段间的相互排斥作用较弱时,结晶便破坏了柱状畴;当此相互作用足够强时,结晶过程可以有效地被限制在熔体微相分离所形成的柱状畴内.另外,介于上述两种情形之间还存在一个模板区域,此时熔体形成的柱状畴大部分被保留下来,但在局部会变形或连通.这些结果和文献报道的实验结果一致.当嵌段间的相互排斥作用非常强时,结晶被抑制,微相分离主导最终形态,观察到了非晶态结构.     

Dynamics and order-disorder transitions in bidisperse diblock copolymer blends

We employ the dynamic extension of self-consistent field theory (DSCFT) to study dynamics and order-disorder transitions (ODT) in AB diblock copolymer binary mixtures of two different monodisperse chain lengths by imitating the dynamic storage modulus G′ corresponding to any given morphology in the oscillatory shear measurements. The different polydispersity index (PDI) is introduced by binary blending AB diblock copolymers with variations in chain lengths and chain number fractions. The simulation results show that the increase of polydispersity in the minority or symmetric block introduces a decrease in the segregation strength at the ODT, (χN)_ODT, whereas the increase of polydispersity in the majority block results in a decrease, then increase and final decrease again in (χN)_ODT. To the best of our knowledge, our DSCFT simulations, for the first time, predict an increase in (χN)_ODT with the PDI in the majority block, which produces the experimental results. The simulations by previous SCFT, which generally speaking, is capable of describing equilibrium morphologies, however, contradict the experimental data. The polydispersity acquired by properly tuning the chain lengths and number fractions of binary diblock copolymer blends should be a convenient and efficient way to control the microphase separation strength at the ODT.     

Microphase separation in a melt of graft copolymers formed by blocks with different grafting densities

The weak-segregation phase behavior of a monodisperse melt of a binary graft copolymer the macromolecules of which consist of two blocks with different densities of grafting of side chains is investigated. The length of the side chains in each block is assumed to be the same. Analysis of the structure factor of the system indicates the possibility of formation of two-scale structures in the melt. The realized scales differ significantly from each other and correspond to a phase separation between the blocks and between the monomeric units that form the repeating fragment of the graft copolymer. Classification diagrams are constructed, which describe the scale of the structures formed in the melt at different values of the parameters of the chemical structure of the macromolecules.     

Radiation grafting of maleic anhydride onto polypropylene in solid state via ultrafine blend

A novel method to prepare maleic anhydride grafting onto poly (propylene) (PP-g-MAH) was described. It was performed by γ-irradiation in solid state via ultrafine blend in the absence of any initiator and the grafting mechanism was proposed based on the experimental results. First, ultrafine blend of MAH and PP was prepared through ultrasonic initiation in melt state and then cooled rapidly. Second, the blend was radiated by γ-irradiation in the circumstance of atmosphere. Effects of irradiation dose and MAH concentration on the amount of grafted MAH were investigated. Compared with the conventional solid-state radiation grafting method, PP-g-MAH obtained via this method shows a higher graft rate of MAH. This novel method also has the advantages of solventless, energy efficient, low cost and simple operation. Furthermore, it is very easy to get purified products. The molecular structures of grafted copolymer were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction and polarized optical microscope were used to determine the degree of crystallinity and crystalline structure.