Manipulation of Minority Block Crystallization in Asymmetric PEO-<i>b</i>-PCL Copolymers

Asymmetric PEO-b-PCL diblock copolymers exhibit sequential crystallization at high weight fractions. Sequential crystallization opens the door to evaluate the crystallization behavior of the minority block under varying thermal histories. Here, we have isothermally crystallized the majority block at varying conditions to evaluate changes in the crystallization temperature and crystallinity in the minority block using DSC. Surprisingly, microphase separation, or diluent effects, seem to be the controlling factor instead of confinement.