Self-assembly of chiral networks in achiral block copolymer systems using coarse-grained simulations

Ordered network materials, such as the double gyroid, are comprised of two interwoven networks embedded in a matrix and can be formed via the self-assembly of block copolymers. By selecting the interaction parameters that promote elongated conformations, an alternating gyroid morphology can be formed, thereby breaking network symmetry and resulting in a structurally chiral morphology. In this talk, we investigate the self-assembly of model achiral block copolymers into alternating gyroid morphologies using coarse-grained molecular simulation. We show that effective chirality can further be tuned by co-assembling with a suitable species to grow one network and shrink the other. Insights into stability are obtained by measuring polymer end-to-end distances and network topology.