Block Copolymers under Cylindrical Confinement

Self-assembly of symmetric rod-coil diblock copolymers in cylindrical nanopore

Self-assembly of rod-coil (RC) symmetric diblock copolymers (DBCs) in a cylindrical nanopore is investigated by performing dissipative particle dynamics simulation.

Structural Transformation of Diblock Copolymer/Homopolymer Assemblies by Tuning Cylindrical Confinement and Interfacial Interactions

In this study, we report the controllable structural transformation of block copolymer/homopolymer binary blends in cylindrical nanopores. Polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine)/homopolystyrene (SVP/hPS) nanorods (NRs) can be fabricated by pouring the polymers into an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) channel and isolated by selective removal of the AAO membrane. In this two-dimensional (2D) confinement, SVP self-assembles into NRs with concentric lamellar structure, and the internal structure can be tailored with the addition of hPS. We show that the weight fraction and molecular weight of hPS and the diameter of the channels can significantly affect the internal structure of the NRs. Moreover, mesoporous materials with tunable pore shape, size, and packing style can be prepared by selective solvent swelling of the structured NRs. In addition, these NRs can transform into spherical structures through solvent-absorption annealing, triggering the conversion from 2D to 3D confinement. More importantly, the transformation dynamics can be tuned by varying the preference property of surfactant to the polymers. It is proven that the shape and internal structure of the polymer particles are dominated by the interfacial interactions governed by the surfactants.

Microphase separation patterns in diblock copolymers on curved surfaces using a nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation

We investigate microphase separation patterns on curved surfaces in three-dimensional space by numerically solving a nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation for diblock copolymers. In our model, a curved surface is implicitly represented as the zero level set of a signed distance function. We employ a discrete narrow band grid that neighbors the curved surface. Using the closest point method, we apply a pseudo-Neumann boundary at the boundary of the computational domain. The boundary treatment allows us to replace the Laplace-Beltrami operator by the standard Laplacian operator. In particular, we can apply standard finite difference schemes in order to approximate the nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation in the discrete narrow band domain. We employ a type of unconditionally stable scheme, which was introduced by Eyre, and use the Jacobi iterative to solve the resulting implicit discrete system of equations. In addition, we use the minimum number of grid points for the discrete narrow band domain. Therefore, the algorithm is simple and fast. Numerous computational experiments are provided to study microphase separation patterns for diblock copolymers on curved surfaces in three-dimensional space.

Probing the Effect of Molecular Nonuniformity in Directed Self-Assembly of Diblock Copolymers in Nanoconfined Space

Various complex self-assembled morphologies of lamellar- and cylinder-forming block copolymers comprising poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-polylactide (PDMS-b-PLA) confined in cylindrical channels were generated. Combining top-down lithography with bottom-up block copolymer self-assembly grants access to morphologies that are otherwise inaccessible with the bulk materials. Channel diameter (D) was systematically varied with four diblock copolymers having different compositions and bulk domain spacing (L0), corresponding to a range of frustration ratios (D/L0 from 2 to 4). Excessive packing frustration imposed by the channels leads to contorted domains. The resulting morphologies depend strongly on both D/L0 and copolymer composition. Under several circumstances, mixtures of complex morphologies were observed, which hypothetically arise from the severe sensitivity to D/L0 combined with the inherent compositional/molar mass dispersities associated with the nonuniform synthetic materials and silicon templates. Stochastic calculations offer compelling support for the hypothesis, and tractable pathways toward solving this apparent conundrum are proposed. The materials hold great promise for next-generation nanofabrication to address several emerging technologies, offering significantly enhanced versatility to basic diblock copolymers as templates for fabricating complex nanoscale objects.

Structure and Dynamics of Asymmetric Poly(styrene-b-1,4-isoprene) Diblock Copolymer under 1D and 2D Nanoconfinement

The impact of 1- and 2-dimensional (2D) confinement on the structure and dynamics of poly(styrene-b-1,4-isoprene) P(S-b-I) diblock copolymer is investigated by a combination of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Grazing-Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS), and Broadband Dielectric Spectroscopy (BDS). 1D confinement is achieved by spin coating the P(S-b-I) to form nanometric thin films on silicon substrates, while in the 2D confinement, the copolymer is infiltrated into cylindrical anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) nanopores. After dissolving the AAO matrix having mean pore diameter of 150 nm, the SEM images of the exposed P(S-b-I) show straight nanorods. For the thin films, GISAXS and AFM reveal hexagonally packed cylinders of PS in a PI matrix. Three dielectrically active relaxation modes assigned to the two segmental modes of the styrene and isoprene blocks and the normal mode of the latter are studied selectively by BDS. The dynamic glass transition, related to the segmental modes of the styrene and isoprene blocks, is independent of the dimensionality and the finite sizes (down to 18 nm) of confinement, but the normal mode is influenced by both factors with 2D geometrical constraints exerting greater impact. This reflects the considerable difference in the length scales on which the two kinds of fluctuations take place.

Self-assembly of diblock copolymer confined in an array-structure space

The combination of top-down and bottom-up technologies is an effective method to create the novel nanostructures with long range order in the field of advanced materials manufacture. In this work, we employed a polymeric self-consistent field theory to investigate the pattern formation of diblock copolymer in a 2D confinement system designed by filling pillar arrays with various 2D shapes such as squares, rectangles, and triangles. Our simulation shows that in such confinement system, the microphase structure of diblock copolymer strongly depends on the pitch, shape, size, and rotation of the pillar as well as the surface field of confinement. The array structures can not only induce the formation of new phase patterns but also control the location and orientation of pattern structures. Finally, several methods to tune the commensuration and frustration of array-structure confinement are proposed and examined.

Templated self-assembly of block copolymers and morphology transformation driven by the Rayleigh instability

In the current study, we investigate the self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) confined in the nanopores of the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template and the subsequent morphology transformation induced by the Rayleigh instability. PS-b-P4VP nanotubes and nanorods with various internal nanostructures are fabricated by wetting the AAO template with PS-b-P4VP/chloroform solution, and then followed by solvent evaporation. After the removal of AAO template by potassium hydroxide solution, several different solvents (chloroform, toluene, and N,N-dimethylformamide) with different qualities are used to swell and anneal those nanotubes and nanorods suspended in aqueous media. Morphology transformation from nanostructured PS-b-P4VP nanotubes or nanorods to ordered nanospheres is observed by annealing upon chloroform and toluene while the morphology remains unchanged upon N,N-dimethylformamide annealing, indicating that solvent quality is a key factor in tuning the morphology and internal structures. Kinetics study and theoretical analysis for the morphology transition from two-dimensional (2D) block copolymer (BCP) nanotubes and nanorods to three-dimensional (3D) BCP nanospheres are further performed. From the morphological evolution and the quantitative calculation, it is confirmed that this transition is induced by the Rayleigh instability. This study provides a simple but promising method, that is, solvent annealing method, for the fabrication of BCP nanospheres with ordered internal nanostructures, which may have great application in drug delivery and other nanotechnology.

Oil transfer converts phosphatidylcholine vesicles into nonlamellar lyotropic liquid crystalline particles

There is a need for the development of low-energy dispersion methods tailored to the formation of phospholipid-based nonlamellar lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) particles for delivery system applications. Here, facile formation of nonlamellar LLC particles was obtained by simple mixing of a phosphatidylcholine (PC) liposome solution and an oil-in-water emulsion, with limonene or isooctane as an oil. The internal structure of the particles was controlled by the PC-to-oil ratio, consistently with the sequence observed in bulk phase. For the first time, reverse micellar cubosomes with Fm3̅m inner structure were produced. The size, morphology, and inner structure of the particles were characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and freeze-fracture cryo scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). These findings pave the way to new strategies in low-energy formulation of LLC delivery systems.

Patchy nanoparticles self-assembled from linear triblock copolymers under spherical confinement: a simulated annealing study

The self-assembly of linear ABC triblock copolymers confined in spherical nanopores is studied using a simulated annealing technique. Morphological phase diagrams as a function of the pore diameter, the selectivity of the pore-wall to the terminal blocks, and the copolymer composition are constructed. A variety of patchy nanoparticles and multiple morphological transitions are identified. Janus nanoparticles, which can be regarded as particles with one patch, are observed inside small nanopores. With increasing the pore diameter, the number of patches on a nanoparticle surface increases from one to two, four, five, six, and seven. The size of each patch increases periodically. The number of patches also increases with increasing the wall selectivity. The distribution of the patches on the surface of a given particle is highly symmetric. The interior structures of the patchy nanoparticles and the morphological transition are investigated by calculating the bridging fraction, the mean square end-to-end distance and the average contact number between different components. A series of entropy-driven morphological transitions is predicted. Furthermore, it is found that the overall patchy morphology is largely controlled by the volume fraction of the middle B-block, while the internal structure is largely controlled by the volume fraction ratio of the two terminal blocks. Our study demonstrates that the size of nanopores, the pore-wall selectivity, and the copolymer composition could be utilized as effective means to tune the structure and properties of the anisotropic nanoparticles.

Three-dimensional nanofabrication by block copolymer self-assembly

Thin films of block copolymers are widely seen as enablers for nanoscale fabrication of semiconductor devices, membranes, and other structures, taking advantage of microphase separation to produce well-organized nanostructures with periods of a few nm and above. However, the inherently three-dimensional structure of block copolymer microdomains could enable them to make 3D devices and structures directly, which could lead to efficient fabrication of complex heterogeneous structures. This article reviews recent progress in developing 3D nanofabrication processes based on block copolymers.

Honeycombs in honeycombs: complex liquid crystal alumina composite mesostructures

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study orientation patterns of two polyphilic liquid crystals (LC) confined to cylindrical pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO). The hierarchical hybrid systems had the LC honeycomb (lattice parameter 3.5-4 nm) inside the pores of the AAO honeycomb (diameters 60 and 400 nm). By conducting complete reciprocal space mapping using SAXS, we conclude that the columns of both compounds align in planes normal to the AAO pore axis, with a specific crystallographic direction of the LC lattice aligning strictly parallel to the pore axis. AFM of LC-containing AAO fracture surfaces further revealed that the columns of the planar anchoring LC (compound 1) formed concentric circles in the plane normal to the pore axis near the AAO wall. Toward the pore center, the circles become anisometric "racetrack" loops consisting of two straight segments and two semicircles. This mode compensates for slight ellipticity of the pore cross section. Indications are, however, that for perfectly circular pores, circular shape is maintained right to the center of the pore, the radius coming down to the size of a molecule. For the homeotropically anchoring compound 2, the columns are to the most part straight and parallel to each other, arranged in layers normal to the AAO pore axis, like logs in an ordered pile. Only near the pore wall the columns splay somewhat. In both cases, columns are confined to layers strictly perpendicular to the AAO pore axis, and there is no sign of escape to the third dimension or of axial orientation, the latter having been reported previously for some discotic LCs. The main cause of the two new LC configurations, the "racetrack" and the "logpile", and of their difference from those of confined nematic LC, is the very high splay energy and low bend energy of columnar phases.

Segmented helical structures formed by ABC star copolymers in nanopores

Self-assembly of ABC star triblock copolymers confined in cylindrical nanopores is studied using self-consistent mean-field theory. With an ABC terpolymer forming hexagonally-arranged cylinders, segmented into alternative B and C domains, in the bulk, we observe the formation in the nanopore of a segmented single circular and non-circular cylinder, a segmented single-helix, and a segmented double-helix as stable phases, and a metastable stacked-disk phase with fourfold symmetry. The phase sequence from single-cylinder, to single-helix, and then to double-helix, is similar as that in the cylindrically-confined diblock copolymers except for the absence of an equilibrium stacked-disk phase. It is revealed that the arrangement of the three-arm junctions plays a critical role for the structure formation. One of the most interesting features in the helical structures is that there are two periods: the period of the B/C domains in the helix and the helical period. We demonstrate that the period numbers of the B/C domains contained in each helical period can be tuned by varying the pore diameter. In addition, it is predicted that the period number of B/C domains can be any rational in real helical structures whose helical period can be tuned freely.

Reversible adhesion switching of porous fibrillar adhesive pads by humidity

We report reversible adhesion switching on porous fibrillar polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) adhesive pads by humidity changes. Adhesion at a relative humidity of 90% was more than nine times higher than at a relative humidity of 2%. On nonporous fibrillar adhesive pads of the same material, adhesion increased only by a factor of ~3.3. The switching performance remained unchanged in at least 10 successive high/low humidity cycles. Main origin of enhanced adhesion at high humidity is the humidity-induced decrease in the elastic modulus of the polar component P2VP rather than capillary force. The presence of spongelike continuous internal pore systems with walls consisting of P2VP significantly leveraged this effect. Fibrillar adhesive pads on which adhesion is switchable by humidity changes may be used for preconcentration of airborne particulates, pollutants, and germs combined with triggered surface cleaning.

Phase segregation of a symmetric diblock copolymer in constrained space with a square-pillar array

In this study, we apply a self-consistent field theory of polymers to study the structures of a symmetric diblock copolymer in parallel substrates filled with square-pillar arrays in which the substrates and pillars exhibit a weak preference for one block of the copolymer. Three classes of structures, i.e., lamellae, perpendicular cylinders, and bicontinuous structures, are achieved by varying the polymer film thickness, the pillar pitch (the distance between two centers of the nearest neighboring pillars), the gap and rotation of the pillars. Because of the confinement along horizontal directions imposed by the pillar array, eight novel types of perpendicular lamellar structures and eight novel types of cylindrical structures with various shapes and distributions occur. In the hybridization states of the parallel and perpendicular lamellar structures, several novel bicontinuous structures such as the double-cylinder network, pseudo-lamellae, and perforated lamellar structure are also found. By comparing the free energies of the various possible structures, the antisymmetric parallel lamellae are observed to be stable with the larger pillar gap at a certain film thickness. The structural transformations between the alternating cylindrical structures (alternating cross-shaped, square-shaped, and octagonal perpendicular cylinders) and parallel lamellae with increasing film thickness or pillar gap are well explained by the modified strong separation theory. Our results indicate that array confinement can be an effective method to prepare novel polymeric nanopattern structures.

Mesostructured silica containing conjugated polymers formed within the channels of anodic alumina membranes from tetrahydrofuran-based solution

The synthesis of mesostructured silica from a tetrahydrofuran (THF)-based sol gel was carried out in the channels of an anodic alumina membrane (AAM) using the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method. Two different nonionic surfactants were used as structure-directing agents, the triblock copolymer Pluronic P123 and the oligomer surfactant Brij56. The effect of the relative humidity and surfactant concentration on the type of mesophase and orientation of the in-channel mesostructures was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and grazing incidence small angel X-ray scattering (GISAXS). The in-channel structures obtained in this study were primarily of the 2D hexagonal phase with a circular orientation in which the hexagonally packed cylinders form a spiral-like shape from the channel wall inward. In addition, a columnar orientation of the hexagonal phase, in which the axes of the hexagonally packed cylinders are oriented parallel to the channel axes, was also observed. Finally, the use of the THF-based synthesis allowed the in situ incorporation of the highly hydrophobic yellow-emitting conjugated polymer poly[9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole] into the in-channel mesostructure upon its formation. The conjugated polymer was well distributed within the mesostructure and maintained its optical properties.

Phase behavior of binary blends of diblock copolymer/homopolymer confined in spherical nanopores

Binary blends of a diblock copolymer (AB) and an incompatible homopolymer (C) confined in spherical cavities are studied using a simulated annealing technique. The phase behavior of the blends is examined for four typical cases, representing the different selectivity of the pore surface to the A, B, and C species. The internal morphology of the spherical polymeric particles is controlled by the homopolymer volume fraction, the degree of confinement, and the composition of the copolymer. Inside a particle, the homopolymers segregate to form one or, under some conditions, two domains; thus, the homopolymers may act as an additional controlling parameter of the shape and symmetry of the copolymer domain. A rich array of confinement-induced novel diblock copolymer morphologies is predicted. In particular, core-shell particles with the copolymers as the shell wrapping around a homopolymer core or a copolymer-homopolymer combined core and Janus-like particles with the copolymers and the homopolymers on different sides are obtained.

Curvature-Driven Rigid Nanowire Orientation inside Nanotube Walls

Self-aligning of a rigid hard domain nanowire inside the nanotube wall has been found for a segmented block copolymer, and applicability of the attenuated total reflection (ATR) technique of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to obtain quantitative three-dimensional orientation information of the nanowires in the nanotube has been demonstrated. The preferential orientation of a nanowire along a nanocylinder is explained in terms of the curvature of the nanotube and the persistence length of the hard domain nanowire. This observation may pave the way to new fabrication methods for the anisotropic performance of one-dimensional structures, such as electrical conductivity, piezoelectricity, and photonic properties of polymeric nanofibers and nanotubes.

Confined Self-Assembly of Asymmetric Diblock Copolymers within Silica Nanobowl Arrays

The confined self-assembly of asymmetric diblock copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) within an array of silica nanobowls prepared using a colloidal spheres templating technique is investigated. By manipulation of the nanobowl size, block copolymer (BCP) thickness, and interfacial interaction, a rich variety of ordered BCP nanostructures not accessible in the bulk system or under other confinements are obtained, resulting in hierarchically ordered nanostructures.

Confinement of elastomeric block copolymers via forced assembly coextrusion

Forced assembly processing provides a unique opportunity to examine the effects of confinement on block copolymers (BCPs) via conventional melt processing techniques. The microlayering process was utilized to produce novel materials with enhanced mechanical properties through selective manipulation of layer thickness. Multilayer films consisting of an elastomeric, symmetric block copolymer confined between rigid polystyrene (PS) layers were produced with layer thicknesses ranging from 100 to 600 nm. Deformation studies of the confined BCP showed an increase in ductility as the layer thickness decreased to 190 nm due to a shift in the mode of deformation from crazing to shear yielding. Postextrusion annealing was performed on the multilayer films to investigate the impact of a highly ordered morphology on the mechanical properties. The annealed multilayer films exhibited increased toughness with decreasing layer thickness and resulted in homogeneous deformation compared to the as-extruded films. Multilayer coextrusion proved to be an advantageous method for producing continuous films with tunable mechanical response.

Hierarchically structured materials from block polymer confinement within bicontinuous microemulsion-derived nanoporous polyethylene

The self-assembly behavior of block polymers under strong two-dimensional and three-dimensional confinement has been well-studied in the past decade. Confinement effects enable access to a large suite of morphologies not typically observed in the bulk. We have used nanoporous polyethylene, derived from a polymeric bicontinuous microemulsion, as a novel template for the confinement of several different cylinder-forming block polymer systems: poly(isoprene-b-2-vinylpyridine), poly(styrene-b-isoprene), and poly(isoprene-b-dimethylsiloxane). The resultant materials exhibit unique hierarchical arrangements of structure with two distinct length scales. First, the polyethylene template imparts a disordered, microemulsion-like periodicity between bicontinuous polyethylene and block polymer networks with sizes on the order of 100 nm. Second, the block polymer networks display internal periodic arrangements produced by the spontaneous segregation of their incompatible constituents. The microphase-separated morphologies observed are similar to those previously reported for confinement of block polymers in cylindrical pores. However, at present, the morphologies are spatially variant in a complex manner, due to the three-dimensionally interconnected nature of the confining geometry and its distribution in pore sizes. We have further exploited the unique structure of the polyethylene template to generate new hierarchically structured porous monoliths. Poly(isoprene-b-2-vinylpyridine) is used as a model system in which the pyridine block is cross-linked, post-infiltration, and the polyethylene template is subsequently extracted. The resultant materials possess a three-dimensionally continuous pore network, of which the pore walls retain the unique, microphase-separated morphology of the confined block polymer.

Preparation of TiO₂ nanowires/nanotubes using polycarbonate membranes and their uses in dye-sensitized solar cells

Track-etched polycarbonate (PC) membranes were used as a soft template to synthesize mesoporous TiO(2) for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The Ti precursor infiltrated into the cylindrical confined spaces of PC membranes. Upon calcination at 500 °C, TiO(2) nanowires (15TNW) were obtained from PC with a 15 nm pore diameter, whereas TiO(2) nanotubes (50TNT and 100TNT) were generated from PC with 50 and 100 nm diameter pores, respectively. TNW and TNT were used as photoelectrodes in DSSCs employing a polymer electrolyte. The ranking of the cell efficiencies of the 200 nm thick TiO(2) films was 50TNT (1.1%) > 15TNW (0.8%) ≅ 100TNT (0.7%), which was mostly attributed to different amounts of dye adsorption due to different surface areas. These TNW and TNT films were further coated with the graft copolymer-directed mesoporous TiO(2) and were used as interfacial layers between the FTO glass and the 4 μm thick nanocrystalline TiO(2) film. As a result, the order of energy conversion efficiency was 15TNW (5.0%) ≅ 50TNT (4.8%) > 100TNT (4.1%). The improved performance of 15TNW was due to a higher transmittance through the electrode and a longer electron lifetime for recombination. The DSSC performance was systematically investigated in terms of interfacial resistance and charge recombination using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.