Communication: Molecular-level insights into asymmetric triblock copolymers: Network and phase development

SS Tallury and KP Mineart and S Woloszczuk and DN Williams and RB Thompson and MA Pasquinelli and M Banaszak and RJ Spontak, JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS, 141, 121103 (2014).

DOI: 10.1063/1.4896612

Molecularly asymmetric triblock copolymers progressively grown from a parent diblock copolymer can be used to elucidate the phase and property transformation from diblock to network-forming triblock copolymer. In this study, we use several theoretical formalisms and simulation methods to examine the molecular-level characteristics accompanying this transformation, and show that reported macroscopic-level transitions correspond to the onset of an equilibrium network. Midblock conformational fractions and copolymer morphologies are provided as functions of copolymer composition and temperature. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.

Return to Publications page