双嵌段共聚物薄膜介观结构的耗散粒子动力学模拟

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative Particle Dynamics, DPD)方法模拟两平行平板间的双嵌段共聚物体系的介观结构. 模拟结果表明, 随板间距的增大, 体系分层数量的增加是不连续的, 在分层数量的增加过程中, 出现不规则结构的过渡区；聚合物链末端距随板间距的增大呈周期性振荡, 振荡幅度逐渐减小. 对模拟结果的分析表明：层状结构转变点与分层数量之间存在近似线性关系；层状结构转变点近似与共聚物链长的2/3次方成正比.     

环形对称两嵌段共聚物在薄膜中自组装行为的计算机模拟

采用Monte Carlo模拟方法考察了AB环形对称两嵌段共聚物受限在薄膜中的自组装行为。模拟结果表明,AB环形对称两嵌段共聚物在薄膜中自组装形成的层状结构的取向依赖于薄膜表面的选择性或膜厚。当薄膜表面无选择性或具有强选择性时,体系中层状结构的取向分别为垂直和平行于薄膜表面;当薄膜表面选择性较弱时,随着膜厚的增加层状结构的取向会发生由垂直向平行于薄膜表面的转变。这些模拟结果与文献报道中线形体系十分一致。然而值得注意的是,当薄膜表面的选择性适中时,环形体系中形成了一种在线形体系中未被观察到的具有波浪形层状结构的新颖有序结构。通过对该结构相互作用焓密度与链构象的分析发现,该结构是一种稳定态结构。此外,通过对比相同参数下环形体系与线形体系的层状结构发现,环形体系层状结构的特征尺寸明显小于线形体系。上述模拟结果表明相对于与其分子量相同的线形嵌段共聚物,环形嵌段共聚物由于其特殊的几何结构能够形成新颖的或具有更小特征尺寸的微相分离结构,而控制特征尺寸,尤其是获得尽可能小的特征尺寸,对于制备具有更小纳米结构和更高集成度的微电子器件具有重要意义。     

在平行板受限条件下AB两嵌段共聚物/纳米粒子复合物自组装行为的Monte Carlo模拟

采用Monte Carlo模拟方法研究了在平行板受限条件下A_(15)B_5非对称两嵌段共聚物与纳米粒子复合物的自组装行为,其中平行板对多组分嵌段A具有吸引相互作用.模拟结果表明,纳米粒子在两嵌段共聚物/纳米粒子复合物中的体积分数、嵌段共聚物不同嵌段与纳米粒子间的相互作用均对体系在平行板受限条件下的形貌结构及纳米粒子在体系中的分布有重要影响.当平行板间距一定时,未添加纳米粒子的A_(15)B_5非对称两嵌段共聚物中的A嵌段被吸附在平行板上形成层状相,而B嵌段则在平行板中形成六角堆积穿孔层状结构.加入与A嵌段不相容而与B嵌段相容的纳米粒子后,增加了纳米粒子与B嵌段的相容性,有利于保持B嵌段所形成的穿孔结构及孔洞尺寸,同时纳米粒子能够均匀地分散在B相区中.当引入的纳米粒子与A和B两嵌段均不相容时,降低纳米粒子与嵌段共聚物的不相容性同样有利于维持体系的穿孔结构.当纳米粒子与AB两嵌段共聚物间的排斥作用微弱时,即使含量较高,纳米粒子也不聚集,并且均匀分布在A相区与B相区的交界处.     

剪切场作用下环形二嵌段共聚物微相形态变化的耗散粒子动力学研究

采用耗散粒子动力学(Dissipative particle dynamics, DPD)方法研究了在剪切场作用下, 环形二嵌段共聚物微观相分离过程中的形态变化. 在层状(lamellae, LAM)体系中发生了微相的平行重取向和平行-垂直转变以及剪切导致的波动不稳定现象. 对于穿孔层状(Perforated lamellae, PL)体系, 强剪切导致了穿孔层状-柱状(Hexagonal cylinder, HEX)微相转变. 在剪切场作用下, 柱状体系中同样也有平行重取向发生. 可以用相区破坏-相区重生的两步机理描述微相的平行重取向、平行-垂直转变以及PL-HEX转变现象. 在球状相(Body centered cubic, BCC)体系中发现了剪切诱导相融合.     

嫁接于平行板的受限紧密高分子链末端距分布函数的研究

采用剪除增加Rosenbluth方法(Pruned-enriched-Rosenbluth method,PERM)算法计算了嫁接于平行板的受限紧密高分子链的末端距分布函数.由于受限紧密高分子链具有各向异性,重点研究了平行板方向x轴上的分布函数P(x),发现P(x)可以表示为ln[P(x)/Pm(x)]/ND-5/3=a0+a1u+a2u2+a3u3(其中u=x/ND-2/3).这里N为链长,Pm(x)为分布函数P(x)的最大值,两平行板的间距为D+1.通过计算P(x)的Shannon熵发现末端距分布函数P(x)的Shannon熵可以用来描述高分子链受限的程度,Shannon熵对平行板间距的变化非常敏感,对于同一链长N,P(x)的Shannon熵会随着D的增大而迅速减小,超过临界值Dc会趋向一个定值,即当D≥Dc时Shannon熵将趋于稳定,也说明了此时受限条件对紧密高分子链影响非常小.同时临界值Dc与链长N有关,Dc~Nλ,其中λ=0.543,并进行了一定的理论分析.     

嵌段共聚物和星型均聚物共混体系相行为的自洽场理论研究

用自洽场理论方法(Self-consistent field theory, SCFT)计算了嵌段共聚物AB和三等臂星型均聚物A共混体系的微相形态. 为了简化计算, 着重讨论了固定嵌段共聚物本体的相形态(如层状相)时, 所加入的均聚物的体积分数及均聚物与嵌段共聚物链长之比对体系相形态的影响; 并结合体系的熵和相互作用能的变化, 讨论了星型均聚物在体系微相结构中的分布.     

高分子链在球内表面上的吸附/排空转变

应用自洽场理论(SCFT)研究了受限于球内的高分子溶液的结构,重点关注高分子链在受限壁附近的行为.根据自洽场理论数值计算结果,讨论了球半径、高分子与球限制壁的相互作用、高分子平均浓度等因素对球内高分子浓度分布的影响.从高分子浓度分布和吸附/排空层厚度可以发现,在一定的条件下,受限的高分子在受限壁上会发生吸附/排空转变.吸附/排空转变与受限球大小、高分子链长和平均浓度,以及高分子链与受限壁之间相互作用都有关系.理论预测发生吸附/排空转变时的高分子与球限制壁的临界相互作用参数与链长的倒数成线性关系,且斜率与球半径有关.限制球越小,要发生吸附/排空转变,需要高分子与球之间有更大的临界吸引能.     

本体柱状的线形嵌段共聚物在受限状态下的自组装结构

综述了使用计算机模拟方法研究在本体状态下形成柱状结构的线形二嵌段和三嵌段共聚物在平行板间和纳米圆孔内的自组装结构.研究发现,嵌段共聚物体系在受限状态下自组装可以得到与本体状态下不同的纳米结构,调整受限状态的物理化学性质可以调控受限体系的相行为,从而诱导体系形成特定的结构.模拟研究还发现不同相分离强度和链结构的体系,在相同的受限状态下表现出不同的相行为.因此在制备纳米结构材料的研究中,人们要根据嵌段共聚物体系的特定性质,选择相应的受限环境,才能够实现有效的控制.     

均聚物/两嵌段共聚物/均聚物三元聚合物共混体系界面性质的Monte Carlo模拟

利用格子Monte Carlo(MC)模拟方法研究了两嵌段共聚物增容剂AB的链长及浓度对不相容性均聚物A/B共混体系界面性质的影响.研究结果表明,当两嵌段共聚物的体积分数φC=0.05时,随着两嵌段共聚物分子链长NC从10增至20,界面厚度剧烈减小,而当两嵌段共聚物的分子链长NC进一步增加到60时,界面厚度轻微增加;两嵌段共聚物的取向参数q随着分子链长的增长而增加,即共聚物分子在垂直界面方向的拉伸程度增大.当两嵌段共聚物AB的分子链长NC固定为10时,随着链浓度增大,界面厚度增加,共聚物分子链取向参数q减小,共聚物分子在垂直界面方向的拉伸程度减小.     

纳米粒子驱动受限环境下两嵌段共聚物/均聚物混合体系的自组装行为

采用含时金兹堡-朗道理论(time-dependent ginzburg-landau theory,简称TDGL)方法研究了纳米粒子(nanoparticles,简称NPs)掺杂的两嵌段共聚物/均聚物(AB/C)共混体系在球形受限下的自组装行为.在不同球形受限条件下,两嵌段共聚物/均聚物共混体系形成了多种丰富的形貌,如双螺旋结构、单螺旋结构、层状结构和洋葱环状结构等.当在以上前3种体系中掺杂纳米粒子后,体系结构发生了很大的变化.详细研究了纳米粒子的浓度和浸润强度对以上结构的影响.研究结果表明,通过调控纳米粒子的浓度和浸润性质,该共混体系实现了双螺旋结构→层状结构,单螺旋结构→双螺旋结构,层状结构→单螺旋结构等多种取向序的转变.对于洋葱环状结构,纳米粒子的加入对体系这一结构的影响不大.     

Self-assembly of ABC star triblock copolymer thin films confined with a preferential surface: a self-consistent mean field theory

The microphase separation and morphology of a nearly symmetric A(0.3)B(0.3)C(0.4) star triblock copolymer thin film confined between two parallel, homogeneous hard walls have been investigated by self-consistent mean field theory (SCMFT) with a pseudospectral method. Our simulation experiments reveal that under surface confinement, in addition to the typically parallel, perpendicular, and tilted cylinders, other phases such as lamellae, perforated lamellae, and complex hybrid phases have been found to be stable, which is attributed to block-substrate interactions, especially for those hybrid phases in which A and B blocks disperse as spheres and alternately arrange as cubic CsCl structures, with a network preferred structure of C block. The results show that these hybrid phases are also stable within a broad hybrid region (H region) under a suitable film thickness and a broad field strength of substrates because their free energies are too similar to being distinguished. Phase diagrams have been evaluated by purposefully and systematically varying the film thickness and field strength for three different cases of Flory-Huggins interaction parameters between species in the star polymer. We also compare the phase diagrams for weak and strong preferential substrates, each with a couple of opposite quality, and discuss the influence of confinement, substrate preference, and the nature of the star polymer on the stability of relatively thinner and thick film phases in this work.     

Phase segregation of a symmetric diblock copolymer in constrained space with a square-pillar array

In this study, we apply a self-consistent field theory of polymers to study the structures of a symmetric diblock copolymer in parallel substrates filled with square-pillar arrays in which the substrates and pillars exhibit a weak preference for one block of the copolymer. Three classes of structures, i.e., lamellae, perpendicular cylinders, and bicontinuous structures, are achieved by varying the polymer film thickness, the pillar pitch (the distance between two centers of the nearest neighboring pillars), the gap and rotation of the pillars. Because of the confinement along horizontal directions imposed by the pillar array, eight novel types of perpendicular lamellar structures and eight novel types of cylindrical structures with various shapes and distributions occur. In the hybridization states of the parallel and perpendicular lamellar structures, several novel bicontinuous structures such as the double-cylinder network, pseudo-lamellae, and perforated lamellar structure are also found. By comparing the free energies of the various possible structures, the antisymmetric parallel lamellae are observed to be stable with the larger pillar gap at a certain film thickness. The structural transformations between the alternating cylindrical structures (alternating cross-shaped, square-shaped, and octagonal perpendicular cylinders) and parallel lamellae with increasing film thickness or pillar gap are well explained by the modified strong separation theory. Our results indicate that array confinement can be an effective method to prepare novel polymeric nanopattern structures.     

Alignment of lamellar diblock copolymer phases under shear: insight from dissipative particle dynamics simulations

Sheared self-assembled lamellar phases formed by symmetrical diblock copolymers are investigated through dissipative particle dynamics simulations. Our intent is to provide insight into the experimental observations that the lamellar phases adopt parallel alignment at low shear rates and perpendicular alignment at high shear rates and that it is possible to use shear to induce a transition from the parallel to perpendicular alignment. Simulations are initiated either from lamellar structures prepared under zero shear where lamellae are aligned into parallel, perpendicular, or transverse orientations with respect to the shear direction or from a disordered melt obtained by energy minimization of a random structure. We first consider the relative stability of the parallel and perpendicular phases by applying shear to lamellar structures initially aligned parallel and perpendicular to the shear direction, respectively. The perpendicular lamellar phase persists for all shear rates investigated, whereas the parallel lamellar phase is only stable at low shear rates, and it becomes unstable at high shear rates. At the high shear rates, the parallel lamellar phase first transforms into an unstable diagonal lamellar phase; and upon further increase of the shear rate, the parallel lamellar phase reorients into a perpendicular alignment. We further determine the preferential alignment of the lamellar phases at low shear rate by performing the simulations starting from either the initial transverse lamellar structure or the disordered melt. Since the low shear-rate simulations are plagued by the unstable diagonal lamellar phases, we vary the system size to achieve the natural spacing of the lamellae in the simulation box. In such cases, the unstable diagonal lamellar phases disappear and lamellar phases adopt the preferential alignment, either parallel or perpendicular. In agreement with the experimental observations, the simulations show that the lamellar phase preferentially adopts the parallel orientation at low shear rates and the perpendicular orientation at high shear rates. The simulations further reveal that the perpendicular lamellar phase has lower internal energy than the parallel lamellar phase, whereas the entropy production of the perpendicular lamellar phase is higher with respect to the parallel lamellar phase. Values of the internal energy and entropy production for the unstable diagonal lamellar phases lie between the corresponding values for the parallel and perpendicular lamellar phases. These simulation results suggest that the relative stability of the parallel and perpendicular lamellar phases at low shear rates is a result of the interplay between competing driving forces in the system: (a) the system's drive to adopt a structure with the lowest internal energy and (b) the system's drive to stay in a stationary nonequilibrium state with the lowest entropy production.     

Morphology of Symmetric Diblock Copolymers Confined Between Two Stripe‐Patterned Surfaces – Tilted Lamellae and More

Summary: We report the first Monte Carlo simulations on the thin‐film morphology of symmetric diblock copolymers confined between either symmetrically or antisymmetrically stripe‐patterned surfaces. Under suitable surface configurations (where the lamellae can comply with the surface patterns and can have a period close to the bulk lamellar period L₀), tilted lamellae are observed for film thicknesses D ≥ 2L₀; the checkerboard morphology is obtained for smaller film thicknesses. The A‐B interfaces in the tilted lamellae are basically perpendicular to the surfaces in their immediate vicinity, and exhibit undulations away from them. In some cases, the severe frustration imposed by the two patterned surfaces leads to irregular or unexpected morphologies, which represent locally stable states. The efficient sampling of our expanded grand‐canonical Monte Carlo technique enables us to observe more than one locally stable morphologies and the flipping between them during a single simulation run.

Tilted lamellae between symmetrically patterned surfaces (perpendicular to z) with a surface pattern period of 1.5L₀ and a film thickness of 2.67L₀. L₀ is the bulk lamellar period and the black curves mark the A‐B interfaces.     

On the orientation of lamellar block copolymer phases under shear

Self-assembled lamellar structures composed of block copolymers are simulated by molecular dynamics. The response of a bulk system to external shear is investigated, in particular, the average energy, the entropy production, and the stability of the lamellae's orientation. We distinguish two orientations, a parallel orientation in which the normal to the lamellae sheets lies in the direction of the shear gradient, and a perpendicular orientation in which the normal lies perpendicular to the shear gradient and shear direction. The perpendicular phase is stable throughout all shear rates. The parallel phase has higher internal energy and larger entropy production than the perpendicular phase and moreover becomes unstable at relatively small shear rates. The perpendicular orientation should therefore be more stable at any finite shear rate. Surface effects are probably responsible for the stability of the parallel phase observed experimentally at small shear rates.     

Preparation of Oriented Liquid‐Crystalline/Isotropic Block Copolymer Films with Parallel or Perpendicular Arrangement of Smectic Layers and Lamellar Microdomains

Films of a symmetric liquid‐crystalline/isotropic block copolymer consisting of a smectic LC side‐chain polymer and polystyrene were prepared by solvent casting from solution and from the isotropic melt. By annealing the solvent‐cast film in the S_A phase an oriented microphase‐separated film of lamellar morphology was obtained in which both the lamellae of the block copolymer and the smectic layers of the LC block were oriented parallel to the film surface. A lamellar morphology with perpendicular orientation of lamellae and smectic layers was generated by cooling the block copolymer from the melt.     

Mesoscopic Simulations of Lamellar Orientation in Block Copolymers

Mesoscopic simulation techniques are employed to investigate lamellar orientation in block copolymers subjected to oscillatory shear. Dynamic mean‐field density functional theory (MesoDyn) is able to capture parallel lamellar and perpendicular lamellar states at low and higher shear rates. At higher shear rates a third orientation state is identified from cell dynamics and MesoDyn simulations, and corresponds to predominantly parallel‐aligned lamellae. This is explained on the basis of partial shear‐melting at higher shear rates. The results are compared to the lamellar alignment diagram obtained experimentally for polystyrene/polyisoprene block copolymers.     

Orientation of the boundary faces in nylon-11 lamellar crystals

A semicrystalline polymer having a large repeat unit, as does nylon-11, is particularly suitable for seeking correlation between the orientation of the lattice and the basal planes of the lamellar crystals. In filter mats of nylon-11 single crystals, the basal planes of the lamellae are parallel to (00l) crystallographic planes; the chain axis is tilted with respect to the mat plane. By planar extrusion, bulk double oriented specimens with a nearly single texture can be prepared: the basal planes of the lamellae are parallel to (00l) planes and the chain axis is along the extrusion direction. Doubly oriented samples of nylon-11 having a double texture have been obtained by unidirectional rolling. In these samples, the chain axes are along the rolling direction; the basal planes of the lamellar crystals are not parallel to (00l) planes. It has been proposed that lamellae consist of blocks of six hydrogen-bonded planes shifted by one monomer unit. The parallelism between basal planes of lamellae and (00l) planes is obtained again in rolled samples annealled in contact with formic acid. Those annealed samples are similar to filter mats with respect to the orientation of the lamellar basal planes but they remain doubly oriented at the level of the unit cell; they have a long spacing larger than filter mats of single crystals.     

Mesophase Separation of Diblock Copolymer Confined in a Cylindrical Tube Studied by Dissipative Particle Dynamics

Summary: The morphologies of diblock copolymers confined in a cylindrical tube have been investigated by the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method. Results indicate that the morphology depends on the volume ratio of the immiscible blocks, the diameter of the cylindrical tube and the interactions between the blocks and between the confinement wall and blocks. For symmetric diblock copolymers, when the tube wall is uniform toward the two blocks, perpendicular lamellae or a stacked disk morphology are generally formed except when the diameter of the cylindrical tube is very small; in that case, a special bi‐helix morphology forms because of the entropy effect. When the tube wall is non‐uniform, as the diameter of the tube increases, perpendicular lamellae are first formed, then changing to parallel lamellae and, finally, back to perpendicular lamellae again. An intermediate morphology characterizing the transition between perpendicular and parallel lamellae is observed. If the non‐uniformity of the wall is further enhanced, only parallel lamellae can be found. In the case of asymmetric diblock copolymers, more complex morphologies can be obtained. Multi‐cylindrical micro‐domains and a multilayer helical phase as well as other complex pictures are observed. Generally, the morphologies obtained could find their counterparts from experiments or Monte Carlo simulations; however, differences do exist, especially in some cases of asymmetric diblock copolymers.

Bi‐helix and stacked disks morphologies of A₅B₅ diblock copolymer confined in two different neutral nanocylinders.     

Quiescent and strain-induced crystallization of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) from sulfuric acid solution

Quiescent and strain-induced crystallization of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) from sulfuric acid solution has been studied. Negative spherulites (SA-PPTA spherulites) are formed from hot concentrated solutions by cooling. The spherulite consists of radiating fibrous lamellae several hundred angstroms wide. The electron diffraction pattern indicates that PPTA molecules are oriented perpendicular to the long axes of the fibrous lamellae and that the [010] or [110] direction of the modification I crystal and [010] direction of the modification II crystal are parallel to the long axes of the fibrous lamellae. The width of the lamellae is much smaller than the chain length of the starting PPTA. It appears that hydrolysis of PPTA during melting crystallization determines the chain length, i.e., the width of the fibrous lamella. Stacked, lamellar structures like “row structures” are formed under shear. The longer axes of the fibrous lamellae are oriented perpendicular to the shear direction. It is confirmed by electron diffraction studies that the PPTA molecules are oriented parallel to the shear direction. Well-developed fibrils with the PPTA molecules oriented to the fibril axis, are formed by adding the SA-PPTA spherulites to water with vigorous stirring.