Morphological transformation and mesostructure formation in diblock copolymer blends

ORAL

Abstract

We report the phase structures of a diblock copolymer (BCP) (PS- b-P4VP) blended with bent-core mesogen (BE3-10). High blending concentrations (1:1) resulted in phase separation. However, smaller concentrations resulted in the formation of complexes between the BE3-10 and the BCP. At moderate blending ratio of 1:5, the BCP morphology transformed from a lamellar to hexagonal cylindrical structure and the BE3-10 formed Sm layers that are oriented perpendicular to the BCP interface. At a blending ratio of 1:10, the sample showed remarkable enhancement in the lamellar ordering. In all the blends, the d- spacing was smaller than the original BCP. It is proposed that Sm layer formation and the corresponding chain stretching are responsible for this behavior.

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Authors

  • Kishore Tenneti

    • Drexel University

  • Xiaofang Chen

    • Peking University

  • Christopher Li

    • Drexel University

  • Lixia Rong

    • Stony Brook University

  • Benjamin Hsiao

    • Stony Brook University
    • Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400
    • StonyBrook Technology and Applied Research