Insights into poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer: Synthesis and solvent‐induced structure formation in thin films

We report the synthesis, characterization, and solvent‐induced structure formation in thin films of an amphiphilic rod‐coil conjugated block copolymer, poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐b‐poly(ethylene oxide). The diblock copolymers were prepared by a facile click reaction and their characterizations as well as thermal, crystalline, optical properties, and self‐assembly behavior have been investigated in detail. A series of morphologies including two‐phase separated nanostructure, nanofibrils, and their mixed morphology could be obtained depending on the selectivity of solvents to different blocks. Structural analyses demonstrate there is a subtle balance between microphase separation of copolymer and the π‐π stacking of the conjugated P3HT and such balance can be controlled by changing the solvents of different selectivity in solution and the length of P3HT block. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012