Surface engineering of styrene/PEGylated‐fluoroalkyl styrene block copolymer thin films

A series of diblock copolymers prepared from styrenic monomers was synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization. One block was derived from styrene, whereas the second block was prepared from a styrene modified with an amphiphilic PEGylated‐fluoroalkyl side chain. The surface properties of the resulting polymer films were carefully characterized using dynamic contact angle, XPS, and NEXAFS measurements. The polymer morphology was investigated using atomic force microscope and GISAXS studies. The block copolymers possess surfaces dominated by the fluorinated unit in the dry state and a distinct phase separated microstructure in the thin film. The microstructure of these polymers is strongly influenced by the thin film structure in which it is investigated. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 267–284, 2009     

Ambipolar charge transport in a donor–acceptor–donor‐type conjugated block copolymer and its gate‐voltage‐controlled thin film transistor memory

We demonstrate a fully conjugated donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) triblock copolymer, PBDTT–PNDIBT–PBDTT, which contains PBDTT as the donor block and PNDIBT as the acceptor block. The polymer was synthesized by end‐capping each block with a reactive unit, followed by condensation copolymerization between the two blocks. The physical, optical, and electrochemical properties of the polymer were investigated by comparing those of donor‐ and acceptor‐homopolymers (i.e., PBDTT and PNDIBT), which are the oligomeric monomers, and their blends. On using the newly synthesized block copolymer, ambipolar charge transport behavior was observed in the corresponding thin‐film transistor, and the behavior was compared to that of blend film of donor‐ and acceptor‐homopolymers. Owing to the presence of donor and acceptor blocks in a single polymer chain, it was found that the triblock copolymer can store two‐level information; the ability to store this information is one of the most intriguing challenges in memory applications. In this study, we confirmed the potential of the triblock copolymer in achieving distinct two‐stage data storage by utilizing the ambipolar charge trapping phenomenon, which is expected in donor and acceptor containing random and block copolymers in a thin‐film transistor. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 3223–3235     

Brushless and controlled microphase separation of lamellar polystyrene‐b‐polyethylene oxide thin films for block copolymer nanolithography

Creating perpendicular alignment in lamellar block copolymer (BCP) systems has considerable industrial and commercial significance, most importantly for generating nanowire structures in electronic devices. In general, these lamellar systems require careful interface engineering to obtain vertical orientation of the blocks. To avoid the strong preferential adsorption of one block to either the substrate or the polymer/air interface, the surface must be “neutralized” by chemical brushes or external forces, for example, solvent fields. Reported here is a stepwise thermo/solvent annealing process allowing the formation of perpendicular domains of polystyrene‐b‐polyethylene oxide lamellar structures while avoiding brush or other surface modifications. This BCP has a relatively small minimum feature size and can be used to generate substrate patterns for use in fabrication of nanowire electronic device structures. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Self‐assembly of metallo‐supramolecular block copolymers in thin films

The self‐assembly of a metallo‐supramolecular PS‐[Ru]‐PEO block copolymer, where ‐[Ru]‐ is a bis‐2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine‐ruthenium(II) complex, in thin films was investigated. Metallo‐supramolecular copolymers exhibit a different behavior as compared to their covalent counterparts. The presence of the charged complex at the junction of the two blocks has a strong impact on the self‐assembly, effecting the orientation of the cylinders and ordering process. Poly(ethylene oxide) cylinders oriented normal to the film surface are obtained directly regardless of the experimental conditions over a wide range of thicknesses. Exposure to polar solvent vapors can be used to improve the lateral ordering of the cylindrical microdomains. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4719–4724, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of polycaprolactone (B)–poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (A) ABA block copolymer

Novel poly(lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) ABA block copolymers were synthesized by bulk copolymerization of glycolide and lactide with PCL diols prepolymer using stannous octoate as catalyst. The resulting copolymers were characterized by various analytical techniques including gel permeation chromatography, IR, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimeter and X‐ray diffractometry. Mechanical properties and hydrophilicity of the copolymers were also studied. Data showed that the copolymers presented a part‐regular structure, containing both PCL crystalline and amorphous PLGA domains. The properties of these copolymers can be adjusted by changing the compositions of the copolymers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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     

Manipulating morphology and orientation in thermally responsive block copolymer thin films

We demonstrate the use of combined thermal annealing and solvent vapor annealing (SVA) to tune the morphology of thermally responsive block copolymer (BCP) thin films. The BCP, poly(styrene‐b‐tert‐butyl acrylate) (PS‐b‐PtBA), undergoes a chemical deprotection to poly(styrene‐b‐acrylic anhydride) (PS‐b‐PAH) above a temperature threshold, giving rise to a structural and morphological transition. Our experiments systematically examine different thermal annealing and SVA protocols with two solvents (tetrahydrofuran and acetone) and map the resulting morphologies. Assessments of these processing protocols were accelerated using temperature gradients. Our results demonstrate that the final nanoscale morphologies after SVA are determined by the changes in the relative solvent/polymer interactions and surface tensions of the polymer blocks that accompany deprotection. Because of these driving forces, certain processing combinations led to irreversible morphological states, whereas others present opportunities for further manipulation. Accordingly, our study reveals that the morphology of this thermally sensitive BCP can be altered through judicious choice of annealing protocol. The protocols that combine equal numbers of SVA and thermal annealing (TA) steps are not necessarily equivalent, and the order of the SVA relative to TA is a deciding factor in the final morphology. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Synthesis and self‐assembly of helical polypeptide‐random coil amphiphilic diblock copolymer

Three amphiphilic rod‐coil diblock copolymers, poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline‐b‐γ‐benzyl‐L ‐glutamate) (PEOz‐b‐PBLG), incorporating the same‐length PEOz block length and various lengths of their PBLG blocks, were synthesized through a combining of living cationic and N‐carboxyanhydride (NCA) ring‐opening polymerizations. In the bulk, these block copolymers display thermotropic liquid crystalline behavior. The self‐assembled aggregates that formed from these diblock copolymers in aqueous solution exhibited morphologies that differed from those obtained in α‐helicogenic solvents, that is, solvents in which the PBLG blocks adopt rigid α‐helix conformations. In aqueous solution, the block copolymers self‐assembled into spherical micelles and vesicular aggregates because of their amphiphilic structures. In helicogenic solvents (in this case, toluene and benzyl alcohol), the PEOz‐b‐PBLG copolymers exhibited rod‐coil chain properties, which result in a diverse array of aggregate morphologies (spheres, vesicles, ribbons, and tube nanostructures) and thermoreversible gelation behavior. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 3108–3119, 2008     

Microdomain morphology of lamella‐forming diblock copolymer confined in a thin film

We report the self‐consistent field theory (SCFT) of the morphology of lamella‐forming diblock copolymer thin films confined in two horizontal symmetrical/asymmetrical surfaces. The morphological dependences of thin films on the polymer‐surface interactions and confinement, such as film thickness and confinement spatial structure, have been systematically investigated. Mechanisms of the morphological transitions can be understood mainly through the polymer‐surface interactions and confinement entropy, in which the plat confinement surface provides a surface‐induced effect. The confinement is expressed in the form of the ratio D/L₀, here D is film thickness, and L₀ is the period of bulk lamellar‐structure. Much richer morphologies and multiple surface‐induced morphological transitions for the lamella‐forming diblock copolymer thin films are observed, which have not been reported before. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1–10, 2009     

Low‐density polyethylene films doped with europium(III) complex: their properties and applications

Light‐converting polyethylene film containing europium(III) complex with phenanthroline was manufactured under an extrusion process. The film was characterized first by means of time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion‐mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS), ultraviolet‐visible‐infrared (UV‐vis‐IR) spectroscopy, then a study of excitation and luminescence spectra, quantum yield and lifetime of luminescence. The quantum yield of luminescence was measured as 5±2%, and the lifetime of luminescence was determined about 470 μsec. TOF‐SIMS surface mapping showed the uniform distribution of europium(III) over the film. Visualization of strong picosecond UV laser beams through the use of the developed film has been demonstrated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Formation of long‐range stripe patterns with sub‐10‐nm half‐pitch from directed self‐assembly of block copolymer

We have demonstrated directed self‐assembly of poly(styrene‐b‐dimethylsiloxiane) (PS‐b‐PDMS) down to sub‐10‐nm half‐pitch by using grating Si substrate coated with PDMS. The strong segregation between PS and PDMS enables us to direct the self‐assembly in wide grooves of the grating substrate up to 500 nm in width. This process can be applied to form various type of sub‐10‐nm stripe pattern along variety of grating shape. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2010     

High‐throughput characterization of pattern formation in symmetric diblock copolymer films

Surface‐pattern formation in thin block copolymer films was investigated by utilizing a high‐throughput methodology to validate the combinatorial measurement approach and to demonstrate the value of the combinatorial method for scientific investigation. We constructed measurement libraries from images of subregions of block copolymer films having gradients in film thickness and a range of molecular mass, M. A single gradient film covers a wide range of film morphologies and contains information equivalent to a large number of measurements of films having a fixed thickness, h. Notably, the scale of the surface patterns is generally much larger than the molecular dimensions so that the interpretation of the patterns is more subtle than ordering in bulk block copolymer materials, and there is no predictive theory of this type of surface‐pattern formation. We observed a succession of surface patterns that repeat across the film with increasing h [extended smooth regions, regions containing circular islands, labyrinthine (“spinodal”) patterns, holes, and smooth regions again]. The extended smooth regions and the labyrinthine patterns appear to be novel features revealed by our combinatorial study, and these patterns occurred as bands of h that were quantized by integral multiples of the bulk lamellar period, L_o. The magnitude of the height gradient influenced the width of the bands, and the smooth regions occupied an increasing fraction of the film‐surface area with an increasing film gradient. The average size of the spinodal patterns, λ, was found to scale as λ ～ L or λ ～ M^?1.65 and reached a limiting size at long annealing times. The hole and island features had a size comparable to λ, and their size likewise decreased with increasing M. The smooth regions were attributed to an increase in the surface‐chain density in the outer brushlike block copolymer layer with increasing h, and the scaling of λ with M was interpreted in terms of the increasing surface elasticity with M. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2141–2158, 2001     

Water‐soluble top coats for orientation control of liquid crystal‐containing block copolymer films

An easily removable, water‐soluble top coat of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is used to control the orientation of microdomains in a liquid crystalline block copolymer (LC BCP, poly(ethylene oxide)‐block‐poly(6‐(4‐methoxy‐azobenzene‐4′‐butyl) hexyl methacrylate)). The corresponding LC homopolymer is also investigated for comparison. Atomic force microscopy is used to determine the orientation of the cylindrical microdomains of the LC BCP. UV–vis spectroscopy and grazing incidence wide‐angle X‐ray scattering are used to determine the orientation of the LC mesogens in the LC homopolymer and the LC BCP films annealed both with and without a top coat. Once the LC BCP morphology is self‐assembled, the PVP top coat layer can be easily removed with water or alcohol. The facile removal of the top coat improves the processability of BCPs in technological applications, and enables direct investigation of the BCP morphology in scientific studies. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1569–1574     

Poly(3‐hexyl thiophene)‐b‐poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide): Synthesis and its composition dependent structural,solubility, thermoresponsive,electrochemical, and electronic properties

Conjugated block copolymers consisting of poly(3‐hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and a thermoresponsive polymer poly(N‐isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) with varying composition have been synthesized by facile click reaction between alkyne terminated P3HT and azide terminated PNIPAM. The composition‐dependent solubility, thermoresponsive property in water, phase behavior, electrochemical, optical, and electronic properties of the block copolymers were systematically investigated. The block copolymers with higher volume fraction of PNIPAM form thermoresponsive spherical micelles with P3HT‐rich crystalline cores and PNIPAM coronas. Both X‐ray and atomic force microscopic studies indicated that the blocks copolymers showed well‐defined microphase separated nanostructures and the structure depended on the composition of the blocks. The electrochemical study of the block copolymers clearly demonstrated that the extent of charge transport through the block copolymer thin film was similar to P3HT homopolymer without any significant change in the band gap. The block copolymers showed improved or similar charge carrier mobility compared with the pure P3HT depending on the composition of the block copolymer. These P3HT‐b‐PNIPAM copolymers were interesting for fabrication of optoelectronic devices capable of thermal and moisture sensing as well as for studying the thermoresponsive colloidal structures of semiconductor amphiphilic systems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1785–1794     

Controlled co‐solvent vapor annealing and the importance of quenching conditions in thin‐film block copolymer self‐assembly

A controlled co‐solvent vapor annealing system was designed and constructed to investigate the effects of solvent vapor activity during the rapid ambient quenching process on the morphology of a cylinder‐forming poly(styrene)‐b‐poly (ethylene oxide) (PS‐PEO) annealed in toluene and water vapor. A phase transformation from cylinders in the bulk to close‐packed spheres in swollen thin films occurred, which was reversed upon quenching with dry nitrogen. Quenching with humidified nitrogen preserved the spherical morphology but could significantly alter domain spacing and reduce long‐range order in the dried films under some circumstances. Specifically, long‐range order in the quenched films was found to decrease as the quenching humidity decreased from the humidity used during annealing, and the best long‐range order was obtained when the humidity remained consistent throughout both annealing and quenching. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 1125–1130     

Self‐assembly of metal–organic framework thin films containing metalloporphyrin and their photocatalytic activity under visible light

With [5,10,15,20‐tetra(4‐carboxyphenyl)porphyrin]Mn(III) and sterically controlled 2,2¢‐dimethyl‐4,4¢‐pyridine as the main raw materials, metal–organic framework thin films containing metalloporphyrin (MnPor‐MOF) with catalytically active sites were built up on functionalized quartz glass surfaces using a layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly method. Retaining active catalytic sites and having a porous reticular structure, the MnPor‐MOF films possessed remarkable photocatalytic activity for oxidative degradation of methylene blue in the presence of hydrogen peroxide under visible‐light irradiation. Most meaningfully, the MnPor‐MOF films were highly stable and simply and conveniently reusable, and are thus a potentially new organic material for photocatalytic wastewater treatment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ grazing incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering study of solvent vapor annealing in lamellae‐forming block copolymer thin films: Trade‐off of defects in deswelling

Solvent vapor annealing (SVA) is one route to prepare block copolymer (BCP) thin films with long‐range lateral ordering. The lattice defects in the spin‐coated BCP thin film can be effectively and rapidly reduced using SVA. The solvent evaporation after annealing was shown to have a significant impact on the in‐plane ordering of BCP microdomains. However, the effect of solvent evaporation on the out‐of‐plane defects in BCPs has not been considered. Using grazing‐incidence x‐ray scattering, the morphology evolution of lamellae‐forming poly(2‐vinlypyridine)‐b‐polystyrene‐b‐poly(2vinylpyridine) triblock copolymers, having lamellar microdomains oriented normal to substrate surface during SVA, was studied in this work. A micelle to lamellae transformation was observed during solvent uptake. The influence of solvent swelling ratio and solvent removal rate on both the in‐plane and out‐of‐plane defect density was studied. It shows that there is a trade‐off between the in‐plane and out‐of‐plane defect densities during solvent evaporation. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 980–989     

Influence of thermal annealing on the structural and optical properties of maghemite (γ‐Fe2O3) nanoparticle thin films

In this study, maghemite (γ‐Fe₂O₃) nanoparticles were initially synthesized via chemical co‐precipitation and then deposited by spray pyrolysis as thin films on white glass substrates. The thin films were annealed for 8 h at 400, 450, 500, 550, and 600 °C in an oven. The structural studies of maghemite nanoparticles were carried out using X‐ray diffractometer. Structural properties that we investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, SEM, and Energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDS). Optical properties of the samples were also investigated by ultraviolet‐visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The results showed that maghemite nanoparticles have crystalline structure with domain that increases in size with increasing annealing temperature. The optical band gap values were found to reduce from 2.9 to 2.4 eV with increase in annealing temperature. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inclusion complexes of α‐cyclodextrin and (AB)n block copolymers

Cyclodextrins thread onto polymer chains to form inclusion complexes, especially when the polymer is hydrophobic relative to the solvent. Selective threading might occur when the polymer architecture contains both hydrophobic and hydrophilic segments. α‐Cyclodextrin formed crystalline inclusion complexes with (AB)_n microblock copolymers, where the A block was a linear alkyl segment containing a single double bond and the B block was an exact length segment of poly(ethylene oxide). The complexes were isolated and characterized by solution and solid‐state NMR, X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis. Each method confirmed complex formation and showed that the physical properties of the complexes were distinct from those of its individual components. The X‐ray data were consistent with known inclusion complexes having a channel or column crystal structure. The stoichiometry of the complex formation, 2.3 α‐cyclodextrin rings per polymer repeat unit, was determined by NMR analysis of the complexes and from an analysis of the inclusion complex yields. The data suggest that the inclusion complex stoichiometry is defined by the increasing insolubility of the polymer–cyclodextrin complex. Solid‐state NMR data were consistent with a preference for threading onto hydrophobic segments of the (AB)_n polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2731–2739, 2001