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Pula P, Leniart A, Majewski PW. Solvent-assisted self-assembly of block copolymer thin films. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4042-4066. [PMID: 35608282 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00439a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Solvent-assisted block copolymer self-assembly is a compelling method for processing and advancing practical applications of these materials due to the exceptional level of the control of BCP morphology and significant acceleration of ordering kinetics. Despite substantial experimental and theoretical efforts devoted to understanding of solvent-assisted BCP film ordering, the development of a universal BCP patterning protocol remains elusive; possibly due to a multitude of factors which dictate the self-assembly scenario. The aim of this review is to aggregate both seminal reports and the latest progress in solvent-assisted directed self-assembly and to provide the reader with theoretical background, including the outline of BCP ordering thermodynamics and kinetics phenomena. We also indicate significant BCP research areas and emerging high-tech applications where solvent-assisted processing might play a dominant role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemyslaw Pula
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 02089, Poland.
| | - Arkadiusz Leniart
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 02089, Poland.
| | - Pawel W Majewski
- Department of Chemistry, University of Warsaw, Warsaw 02089, Poland.
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2
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Residual changes and thickness effects in glass-forming polymer thin films after solvent vapor annealing. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2021.124417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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3
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Robertson M, Zhou Q, Ye C, Qiang Z. Developing Anisotropy in Self-Assembled Block Copolymers: Methods, Properties, and Applications. Macromol Rapid Commun 2021; 42:e2100300. [PMID: 34272778 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202100300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Block copolymers (BCPs) self-assembly has continually attracted interest as a means to provide bottom-up control over nanostructures. While various methods have been demonstrated for efficiently ordering BCP nanodomains, most of them do not generically afford control of nanostructural orientation. For many applications of BCPs, such as energy storage, microelectronics, and separation membranes, alignment of nanodomains is a key requirement for enabling their practical use or enhancing materials performance. This review focuses on summarizing research progress on the development of anisotropy in BCP systems, covering a variety of topics from established aligning techniques, resultant material properties, and the associated applications. Specifically, the significance of aligning nanostructures and the anisotropic properties of BCPs is discussed and highlighted by demonstrating a few promising applications. Finally, the challenges and outlook are presented to further implement aligned BCPs into practical nanotechnological applications, where exciting opportunities exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Robertson
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Qingya Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Changhuai Ye
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Zhe Qiang
- School of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
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Cheng X, Böker A, Tsarkova L. Temperature-Controlled Solvent Vapor Annealing of Thin Block Copolymer Films. Polymers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1312. [PMID: 31390732 PMCID: PMC6722758 DOI: 10.3390/polym11081312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Solvent vapor annealing is as an effective and versatile alternative to thermal annealing to equilibrate and control the assembly of polymer chains in thin films. Here, we present scientific and practical aspects of the solvent vapor annealing method, including the discussion of such factors as non-equilibrium conformational states and chain dynamics in thin films in the presence of solvent. Homopolymer and block copolymer films have been used in model studies to evaluate the robustness and the reproducibility of the solvent vapor processing, as well as to assess polymer-solvent interactions under confinement. Advantages of utilizing a well-controlled solvent vapor environment, including practically interesting regimes of weakly saturated vapor leading to poorly swollen states, are discussed. Special focus is given to dual temperature control over the set-up instrumentation and to the potential of solvo-thermal annealing. The evaluated insights into annealing dynamics derived from the studies on block copolymer films can be applied to improve the processing of thin films of crystalline and conjugated polymers as well as polymer composite in confined geometries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Cheng
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Lehrstuhl für Polymermaterialien und Polymertechnologie, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Alexander Böker
- Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP, Geiselbergstr. 69, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
- Lehrstuhl für Polymermaterialien und Polymertechnologie, University of Potsdam, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Larisa Tsarkova
- Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West (DNTW), Adlerstr. 1, 47798 Krefeld, Germany.
- Chair of Colloid Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-3, 119991 Moscow, Russia.
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Raybin JG, Sibener SJ. In Situ Visualization of Solvent Swelling Dynamics in Block Copolymer Films with Atomic Force Microscopy. Macromolecules 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b00784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan G. Raybin
- The James Franck Institute and Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, 929 E 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
| | - S. J. Sibener
- The James Franck Institute and Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, 929 E 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, United States
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Koshari SHS, Nayak PK, Burra S, Zarraga IE, Rajagopal K, Liu Y, Wagner NJ, Lenhoff AM. In Situ Characterization of the Microstructural Evolution of Biopharmaceutical Solid-State Formulations with Implications for Protein Stability. Mol Pharm 2018; 16:173-183. [PMID: 30484319 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Lyophilized and spray-dried biopharmaceutical formulations are used to provide long-term stability for storage and transport, but questions remain about the molecular structure in these solid formulations and how this structure may be responsible for protein stability. Small-angle neutron scattering with a humidity control environment is used to characterize protein-scale microstructural changes in such solid-state formulations as they are humidified and dried in situ. The findings indicate that irreversible protein aggregates of stressed formulations do not form within the solid-state but do emerge upon reconstitution of the formulation. After plasticization of the solid-state matrix by exposure to humidity, the formation of reversibly self-associating aggregates can be detected in situ. The characterization of the protein-scale microstructure in these solid-state formulations facilitates further efforts to understand the underlying mechanisms that promote long-term protein stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stijn H S Koshari
- Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Delaware , Newark , Delaware 19716 , United States
| | - Purnendu K Nayak
- Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Inc. , Lancaster , Pennsylvania 17605 , United States
| | - Shalini Burra
- Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Inc. , Lancaster , Pennsylvania 17605 , United States
| | | | | | - Yun Liu
- Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Delaware , Newark , Delaware 19716 , United States.,Center for Neutron Research , National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg , Maryland 20899 , United States
| | - Norman J Wagner
- Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Delaware , Newark , Delaware 19716 , United States
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , University of Delaware , Newark , Delaware 19716 , United States
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Buenning E, Jestin J, Huang Y, Benicewicz BC, Durning CJ, Kumar SK. Location of Imbibed Solvent in Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Membranes. ACS Macro Lett 2018; 7:1051-1055. [PMID: 35632947 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Membranes made purely from nanoparticles (NPs) grafted with polymer chains show increased gas permeability relative to the analogous neat polymer films, with this effect apparently being tunable with systematic variations in polymer graft density and molecular weight. To explore the structural origins of these unusual transport results, we use small angle scattering (neutron, X-ray) on the dry nanocomposite film and to critically examine in situ the structural effects of absorbed solvent. The relatively low diffusion coefficients of typical solvents (∼10-12 m2/s) restricts us to thin films (≈1 μm in thickness) if solute concentration profiles are to equilibrate on the 1 s time scale. The use of such thin films, however, renders them as weak scatterers. Inspired by our nearly two decades old previous work, we address these conflicting requirements through the use of a custom designed flow cell, where stacks of 10 individual ≈1 μm thick supported films are used, while ensuring that each film is individually exposed to solvent vapor. By using isotopically labeled solvents, we study the solvent distribution within the film and show surprisingly that the solvent homogeneously swells the polymer under all conditions that we examined. These results are not anticipated by current theories, but they suggest that, at least under some conditions, the free volume increases due to the grafting of chains to nanoparticles is apparently distributed isotropically in these materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eileen Buenning
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Jacques Jestin
- CEA Saclay, Lab Léon Brillouin, F-91191 Gif Sur Yvette, France
| | - Yucheng Huang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, United States
| | - Brian C. Benicewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29201, United States
| | - Christopher J. Durning
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
| | - Sanat K. Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027, United States
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Ogieglo W, Stenbock-Fermor A, Juraschek TM, Bogdanova Y, Benes N, Tsarkova LA. Synergic Swelling of Interactive Network Support and Block Copolymer Films during Solvent Vapor Annealing. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:9950-9960. [PMID: 30070855 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b02304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We report the effect of "interactive" polymer network (PN) supports on the solvent-vapor processing of thin polymer films. Densely cross-linked surface-attached network exhibits under experimental time scale a glassy swelling behavior with the conformational states and solvent-uptake clearly sensitive to the degree of solvent vapor saturation in the atmosphere. Pretreatment of the thermally cured PN films by complete immersion or by swelling in saturated chloroform vapors facilitates relaxation of the residual stresses and induces irreversible changes to the network structure as revealed by the swelling/deswelling tests. The presence of a polymer film on top of the PN support results in a mutual influence of the layers on the respective swelling kinetics, steady-state solvent uptake, and chain dynamics. Using UV-vis ellipsometry, we revealed a significantly faster swelling and higher solvent uptake of glassy PN layer below a polymer film as compared to a single PN layer on silicon substrate. Remarkably, the swelling of the network support continues to increase even when the overall swelling of the bilayer is in a steady-state regime. Block copolymer films on PN supports exhibit a faster ordering dynamics and exceptional stability toward dewetting as compared to similar films on silicon wafers. The mechanical stress produced by continuously swelling PN is suggested to account for the enhanced segmental dynamics even at low solvent concentration in the block copolymer film. Apart from novel insights into dynamics of solvent uptake by heterogeneous polymer films, these results might be useful in developing novel approaches toward fast-processing/annealing of functional polymer films and fibers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Ogieglo
- DWI-Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien , Forckenbeckstraße 50 , 52056 Aachen , Germany
| | - Anja Stenbock-Fermor
- DWI-Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien , Forckenbeckstraße 50 , 52056 Aachen , Germany
| | - Thomas M Juraschek
- DWI-Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien , Forckenbeckstraße 50 , 52056 Aachen , Germany
| | - Yulia Bogdanova
- Chair of Colloid Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry , Moscow State University , 1-3 Leninskiye Gory , 119991 Moscow , Russia
| | - Nieck Benes
- Membrane Science and Technology Cluster/Films in Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology , University of Twente , 7500 AE Enschede , The Netherlands
| | - Larisa A Tsarkova
- Chair of Colloid Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry , Moscow State University , 1-3 Leninskiye Gory , 119991 Moscow , Russia
- Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West gGmbH (DTNW) , Adlerstraße 1 , 47798 Krefeld , Germany
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Shelton CK, Jones RL, Epps TH. Kinetics of Domain Alignment in Block Polymer Thin Films during Solvent Vapor Annealing with Soft Shear: An in Situ Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Investigation. Macromolecules 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.7b00876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ronald L. Jones
- Materials
Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
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Morris MA, Gartner TE, Epps TH. Tuning Block Polymer Structure, Properties, and Processability for the Design of Efficient Nanostructured Materials Systems. MACROMOL CHEM PHYS 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/macp.201600513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Melody A. Morris
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Delaware Newark DE 19716 USA
| | - Thomas E. Gartner
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Delaware Newark DE 19716 USA
| | - Thomas H. Epps
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering University of Delaware Newark DE 19716 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of Delaware Newark DE 19716 USA
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