AB/CD嵌段共聚物共混体系多尺度结构的自洽场模拟

本文采用自洽场理论模拟了AB/CD嵌段共聚物共混体系的自组装. 改变组分B与D间的相互作用, 得到了不同空间尺度上的两种层状结构和只能在非对称组成情况才能得到的核壳结构. 结果表明, 这种多尺度结构的形成是因为BD间排斥作用的减弱或者吸引 作用的增强导致二者间相互融合程度的增加. 当BD间的相互融合程度与AB和CD间的相互融合程度相当时, 体系会发生宏观层状与微观层状结构间的转变. 此外, 本文还从能量角度揭示了体系发生这种结构转变的深层次原因. 关键词： 嵌段共聚物 共混 多尺度结构 自洽场     

聚氰丙基甲基硅氧烷—聚脲嵌段共聚物的NMR表征及研究

用高分辨NMR对聚甲基硅氧烷-聚脲嵌段共聚物以及聚氰丙基甲基硅氧烷-聚脲嵌段共聚物结构进行表征,对NH形成的各种氢键进行详细的研究,同时观察了氢键在力学性能中的作用,结果发现氢键强烈地影响着力学性能。用固体~1H宽线研究这类材料的相分离状况,并总结影响相分离的因素。保持硬段含量不变,增加软段分子量使相分离程度增加;保持软段分子量不变,增加硬段含量使相分离程度降低。软、硬段之间的相互作用(如氢键)使相分离程度降低。     

聚氰丙基甲基硅氧烷-聚脲嵌段共聚物的NMR表征及研究

用高分辨NMR对聚甲基硅氧烷-聚脲嵌段共聚物以及聚氰丙基甲基硅氧烷-聚脲嵌段共聚物结构进行表征,对NH形成的各种氢键进行详细的研究,同时观察了氢键在力学性能中的作用,结果发现氢键强烈地影响着力学性能。用固体¹H宽线研究这类材料的相分离状况,并总结影响相分离的因素。保持硬段含量不变,增加软段分子量使相分离程度增加;保持软段分子量不变,增加硬段含量使相分离程度降低。软、硬段之间的相互作用(如氢键)使相分离程度降低。     

星形两嵌段共聚高分子薄膜微相分离的耗散粒子动力学模拟

利用耗散粒子动力学模拟研究了两类典型的星形两嵌段共聚高分子薄膜的微相分离行为. 结果表明,(A_x)₄(B_y)₄体系的相图较(A_xB_y)₄体系具有明显的对称性,且前者比后者更易发生相分离,与体相中的情况相近,并可归因于两类星形高分子在结构上的差异;组成相同的星形共聚高分子体系在体相与薄膜中所形成的介观结构之间存在对应关系;减小薄膜厚度与加大A-B组分间排斥强度均有利于增强所形成结构的有序性. 同样是缘于分子结构差异,两类星形高分 子薄膜中的均方回旋半径随体系组分分率的变化规律几乎相反.     

受限于纳米孔的星型ABC三嵌段共聚物自组装形成核-壳-柱状相

在不同条件、不同形状与尺寸孔隙下,星型ABC三嵌段共聚物自组装形成的核-壳-柱状相的相行为,纳米结构形成与小孔几何形状有关,不同表面势能对星型ABC三嵌段共聚物的自组装过程有影响.     

A2B嵌段共聚物熔体的相分离

采用自洽场的方法对A2B共聚物熔体作了类似星形共聚物的处理，研究了该共聚物的相分离并给出了相图．与两嵌段共聚物的相图相比较而言，在A2B的相图中，只发现了三个经典的有序相：球状相、六角蜂窝形柱状相以及层状相．从两嵌段线形共聚物到Y形共聚物这一链结构上的变化使相图也发生了相应的改变：各相的相边界发生了很大的偏移并且层状相出现的区域被大大的拓宽了．因此，可以通过改变链的结构来控制高分子自组装的微相结构，从而代替传统的改变高分子链中各组分的比例．     

嵌段共聚物受限于软孔内的自组装

利用自洽场方法研究两嵌段共聚物受限于接枝均聚物链(聚合物刷)圆孔中的自组装相形貌.研究表明，当圆孔内径一定时，嵌段比f和聚合物刷C的体积分数φ_C是调控嵌段共聚物相形貌的主要因素，聚合物刷的弹性熵也起着重要作用.当f＝0.7时，在聚合物刷的浸润下，贴近刷表面处AB嵌段共聚物构成环层状结构，随着φ_C的减小这种结构会周而复始地出现.当f处于0. 关键词： 嵌段共聚物 圆孔受限 聚合物刷 自洽场     

采用固体NMR研究MPEG-PLA双嵌段共聚物的固态相区结构

采用固体核磁共振方法，研究了AB型聚（L-丙氨酸）聚乙二醇嵌段共聚物(MPEG-b-PLA）的固态微相结构. ¹³C核的交叉极化与直接极化实验表明，MPEG中存在晶态和非晶态两种相区结构，PLA则含有大量的α螺旋与少量的β折叠二级结构. 由交叉极化过程下的¹³C自旋-晶格弛豫时间(T₁)测定结果进一步表明，MPEG链段由于嵌段结构使结晶过程受抑制，结晶度明显下降. PLA链段以结晶态形式存在，并由于大量α螺旋和β折叠有序结构的存在, 链段非常刚性，运动严重受限，而β位甲基因为可以自由旋转，所以运动能力较α位次甲基和羰基强.     

对苯二甲酸丁二酯-ε-己内酯多嵌段共聚物中硬链段的受限结晶

用差示扫描量热法（DSC）,广角X射线衍射（WAXD）,傅立叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）等技术研究了对苯二甲酸丁二酸－ε－己内酯多嵌段共聚物中硬链段的受限结晶。结果表明,PBT－PCL共聚酯中软硬链段在非晶区的混容性比较好,不同组成的样品均显示出一个玻璃化转变温度;对硬段含量超过50％的共聚物来说,硬链段可以结晶,而软链段不能结晶;由于硬链段的受限特点,BT硬链段的结晶受软链段的影响和制约,其结晶能力随硬段序列长度的增加而逐渐增大。     

牛血清白蛋白对Pluronic聚合物胶团形成的影响研究

用吡啶作为荧光探针研究了嵌段共聚物PluronicF108胶团形成以及牛血清白蛋白(BSA)对嵌段共聚物胶团形成的影响。研究表明,BSA阻碍嵌段共聚物的胶团形成,BSA与嵌段共聚物疏水链段的疏水相互作用是其阻碍嵌段共聚物胶团形成的主要原因。     

Polymer crystallization in 25-nm spheres

Crystallization within the discrete spheres of a block copolymer mesophase was studied by time-resolved x-ray scattering. The cubic packing of microdomains, established by self-assembly in the melt, is preserved throughout crystallization by strong interblock segregation even though the amorphous matrix block is well above its glass transition temperature. Homogeneous nucleation within each sphere yields isothermal crystallizations which follow first-order kinetics, contrasting with the sigmoidal kinetics normally exhibited in the quiescent crystallization of bulk polymers.     

Extension of integral equation theory to microphase separation of block copolymers

The confined polymer reference interaction site model (Wall-PRISM) integral equation theory was applied to investigate the microphase separation behaviour of copolymers at a solid surface or in bulk. In particular, the effects of the solid surface on polymer conformation were taken into account for constructing a set of novel bridge functionals for different segments to improve the theory. After the integration of the bridge functionals, the theory can well reproduce the simulated density profiles at different microphase domains of flexible–flexible, flexible–rigid, and linear–branched copolymers. As a consequence, the application scope of the inhomogeneous theoretical approach has been extensively extended. This work provides a prospective way to quantitatively predict the density profiles in microphase separation for block copolymers with sophisticated conformation.     

PHASE SEPARATION IN THE MELT OF POLYPROPYLENE–1-DECENE COPOLYMERS

A propylene homopolymer and three copolymers with 1-decene containing 1.82, 3.55, and 7.83 mol% of comonomer units, respectively, were prepared with metallocene catalyst and the phase behavior in the melt of these polymers was studied using simultaneous synchrotron small-angle x-ray scattering and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the phase behavior of the melt varies with comonomer content and the copolymers tend to be phase-separated with increasing comonomer content. The phase separation in the melt of the propylene–1-decene copolymers was further confirmed by the fitting of the experimental data with Teubner–Strey micro-emulsion model and a transition from the phase-separated melt to the disordered melt was observed. We tentatively attribute this phenomenon to the inhomogeneous intra-molecular composition distribution at high levels of comonomer and the incompatibility of propylene sequences with different lengths. Such a finding is consistent with the facts of multiple melting peaks and mixed γ and α crystal phases in the polymer solids. Since the phase behavior depends on temperature, the effect of annealing temperature, from which the copolymers were cooled, on the nonisothermal crystallization of the copolymers was also investigated. It is found that higher degree of phase separation accelerates the crystallization but reduces the crystallization enthalpy.     

Metachronal waves in a chain of rowers with hydrodynamic interactions

Poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) networks have been investigated by thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The introduction of hydrophilic units (HEA) in the system aiming at tailoring the hydrophilicity of the system results in a series of copolymer networks with microphase separation into hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains. Polycaprolactone (PCL) crystallization is prevented by the topological constraints HEA units imposed in such heterogeneous domains. Moreover, the mobility of the amorphous PCL chains is enhanced as revealed by the main relaxation process which becomes faster. The glass transition of PHEA-rich domains shifts to lower temperatures, as the total amount of PCL in the copolymer increases, due to the presence of PCL units within the same region. The behaviour of the copolymer networks swollen with different content of water has been investigated to analyze the interaction between water molecules and hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains and provide further insights into the molecular structure of the system.     

Weak segregation theory and non-conventional morphologies in the ternary ABC triblock copolymers

The statistical theory of microphase separation in the ternary ABC triblock copolymers is presented and the corresponding phase diagrams are built both for the linear and miktoarm copolymers. For this purpose the Leibler weak segregation theory in molten diblock copolymers is generalized to multi-component monodisperse block copolymers with due regard for the 2nd shell harmonics contributions defined in the paper. The Hildebrand approximation for the χ-parameters is used. The physical meaning of this and alternative choices for the χ-parameters is discussed. The symmetric A_fB_1-2fC_f copolymers with the middle block non-selective with respect to the side ones are shown to undergo the continuous ODT not only into the lamellar phase but also, instead, into various non-conventional cubic phases (depending on the middle block composition it could be the simple cubic, face-centered cubic or non-centrosymmetric phase, which reveals the symmetry of I4₁ 32 space group No. 214 first predicted to appear in molten block copolymers). For asymmetric linear ABC copolymers a region of compositions is found where the weakly segregated gyroid (double gyroid) phase exists between the planar hexagonal and lamellar or one of the non-conventional cubic phases up to the very critical point. In contrast, the miktoarm (star) ABC block copolymers with one of its arm non-selective with respect to the two others are shown to reveal a pronounced tendency towards strong segregation, which is preceded by increase of stability of the conventional BCC phase and a peculiar weakly segregated BCC phase (BCC₃), where the dominant harmonics belong to the 3rd coordination sphere of the reciprocal lattice. The validity region of the developed theory is discussed and outlined in the composition triangles both for linear and miktoarm copolymers. We present also the list of the 2nd shell harmonics (SAXS reflections) allowed and prohibited in some of the non-conventional morphologies due to the weak segregation considerations and comparison of our results with the preceding SCFT treatment of the ABC copolymers by Matsen.     

Molecular mobility in biodegradable poly( $ \varepsilon$ -caprolactone)/poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) networks

Poly( e \varepsilon -caprolactone)/poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) networks have been investigated by thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The introduction of hydrophilic units (HEA) in the system aiming at tailoring the hydrophilicity of the system results in a series of copolymer networks with microphase separation into hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains. Polycaprolactone (PCL) crystallization is prevented by the topological constraints HEA units imposed in such heterogeneous domains. Moreover, the mobility of the amorphous PCL chains is enhanced as revealed by the main relaxation process which becomes faster. The glass transition of PHEA-rich domains shifts to lower temperatures, as the total amount of PCL in the copolymer increases, due to the presence of PCL units within the same region. The behaviour of the copolymer networks swollen with different content of water has been investigated to analyze the interaction between water molecules and hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains and provide further insights into the molecular structure of the system.     

Morphologies of diblock copolymer thin films before and after crystallization

Spin-coated thin films of about 100nm of low-molecular-weight hydrogenated poly(butadiene-b- ethyleneoxide) (PB_h-PEO) diblock copolymers have been crystallized at various constant temperatures. Crystallization has been observed in real time by light microscopy. Detailed structural information was obtained by atomic force microscopy, mainly enabled by the large viscoelastic contrast between amorphous and crystalline regions. The behavior in thin films is compared to the bulk properties of the polymer. Crystallization started from an annealed microphase separated melt where optical microscopy indicated a lamellar orientation parallel to the substrate. A small difference in the length of the crystallizable block produced significantly different crystallization behavior, both in the bulk and in thin films. For thin films of the shortest diblock copolymer (45% PEO content) and for an undercooling larger than about 10 degrees, crystallization created vertically oriented lamellae. These vertical lamellae could be preferentially aligned over several micrometers when crystallization occurred close to a three-phase contact line. Annealing at temperatures closer to the melting point or keeping the sample at room temperature for several months allowed the formation of a lamellar structure parallel to the substrate. A tentative interpretation based on kinetically caused chain folding and relaxation within the crystalline state, with implications on general aspects of polymer crystallization, is presented. Received 19 March 1999 and Received in final form 14 December 1999     

Wetting-driven structure ordering of a copolymer/homopolymer/nanoparticle mixture in the presence of a modulated potential

We investigate pattern formation on a solid substrate of a diblock copolymer-homopolymer mixture containing doping wettable nanoparticles with a preferential attraction for one component of the copolymers, using a three-order-parameter model. The presence of doping nanoparticles under the surface-interaction modulation breaks the isotropy in the process of microphase-separation and macrophase-separation. This leads to the formation of orientational microphase and macrophase structures due to the interplay between the phase separation and wetting particle ordering under a modulated potential at the late stage. Simulations suggest that the microphase morphology and macrophase morphology can be changed through adjustment of the wetting strength, the amplitude as well as the period of the modulated potential. It provides some important insights for changing microphase and macrophase structures in polymer blends by wetting-driven spinodal decomposition.     

Investigation of phase separation in multiblock copolymers consisting of polysulfone and a liquid crystalline polymer

Multiblock copolymers (MBCPs) consisting of polysulfone (PSU) segments and segments of the liquid crystalline poly(ethyleneterephthalate-co-oxybenzoate) (PET/HBA) form rather complex morphologies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations of two block copolymers with significantly different block molecular weights proved the existence of both macro-and microphase separation. These morphologies, existing on different length scales, were found to be superimposed in the samples. A suitable fractionation procedure was used to suppress macrophase separation. Then, it was found that microphase separation is controlled by the segment molecular weights.     

Self-assembled pattern formation of block copolymers on the surface of the sphere using self-consistent field theory

The spherical surface is spatially discretized with triangular lattices to numerically calculate the Laplace-Beltrami operator contained in the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) equations using a finite volume method. Based on this method we have developed a spherical alternating-direction implicit (ADI) scheme for the first time to help extend real-space implementation of SCFT in 2D flat space to the surface of the sphere. By using this method, we simulate the equilibrium microphase separation morphology of block copolymers including AB diblocks, ABC linear triblocks and ABC star triblock copolymers occurred on the spherical surface. In general, two classes of microphase separation morphologies such as striped patterns for compositionally symmetric block copolymers and spotted patterns for asymmetric compositions have been found. In contrast to microphase separation morphology in 2D flat space, the geometrical characteristics of a sphere has a large influence on the self-assembled morphology. For striped patterns, several of spiral-form and ring-form patterns are found by changing the ratio of the radius of a sphere to the averaging width of the stripes. The specific pattern such as the striped and spotted pattern with intrinsic dislocations or defects stems from formed periodic patterns due to microphase separation of block copolymers arranged on the curved surface.