Phase behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers under 3D soft confinement
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2024
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| _version_ | 1866910578441715712 |
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| author | He, Zhijuan Huang, Jin Jiang, Kai Shi, An-Chang |
| author_facet | He, Zhijuan Huang, Jin Jiang, Kai Shi, An-Chang |
| contents | The phase behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers under three-dimensional (3D) soft confinement is investigated using the self-consistent field theory. The soft confinement is realized in binary blends composed AB diblock copolymers and C homopolymers, where the copolymers self-assemble to form a droplet embedded in the homopolymer matrix. The phase behavior of the confined block copolymers is regulated by the degree of confinement and the selectivity of the homopolymers, resulting in a rich variety of novel structures. When the C homopolymers are neutral to the A- and B-blocks, stacked lamellae (SL) are formed where the number of layers increases with the droplet volume, resulting in a morphological transition sequence from Janus particle to square SL. When the C homopolymers are strongly selective to the B-blocks, a series of non-lamellar morphologies, including onion-, hamburger-, cross-, ring-, and cookie-like structures, are observed. A detailed free energy analysis reveals a first-order reversible transformation between SL and onion-like (OL) structures when the selectivity of the homopolymers is changed. Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of how various factors, such as the copolymer concentration, homopolymer chain length, degree of confinement, homopolymer selectivity, affect the self-assembled structures of diblock copolymers under soft 3D confinement. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2408_14863 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Phase behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers under 3D soft confinement He, Zhijuan Huang, Jin Jiang, Kai Shi, An-Chang Soft Condensed Matter The phase behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers under three-dimensional (3D) soft confinement is investigated using the self-consistent field theory. The soft confinement is realized in binary blends composed AB diblock copolymers and C homopolymers, where the copolymers self-assemble to form a droplet embedded in the homopolymer matrix. The phase behavior of the confined block copolymers is regulated by the degree of confinement and the selectivity of the homopolymers, resulting in a rich variety of novel structures. When the C homopolymers are neutral to the A- and B-blocks, stacked lamellae (SL) are formed where the number of layers increases with the droplet volume, resulting in a morphological transition sequence from Janus particle to square SL. When the C homopolymers are strongly selective to the B-blocks, a series of non-lamellar morphologies, including onion-, hamburger-, cross-, ring-, and cookie-like structures, are observed. A detailed free energy analysis reveals a first-order reversible transformation between SL and onion-like (OL) structures when the selectivity of the homopolymers is changed. Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of how various factors, such as the copolymer concentration, homopolymer chain length, degree of confinement, homopolymer selectivity, affect the self-assembled structures of diblock copolymers under soft 3D confinement. |
| title | Phase behavior of symmetric diblock copolymers under 3D soft confinement |
| topic | Soft Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.14863 |