Instabilities in block copolymer films induced by compressible solvents

We combine a simple lattice-gas model for fluid mixtures along with polymer mean-field theory for block copolymer melts to study the stability of thin films of diblock copolymers in the presence of compressible fluid solvents. Using a free energy analysis, the stable and unstable thicknesses of a copolymer thin film are obtained for given solvent conditions. Our results suggest that the interplay between confinement, the compressibility of the solvent, and its selectivity to polymer component can lead to significant changes on the ordering and stability of the diblock copolymer thin films. Our results are in qualitative agreement with recent experimental results.