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Rejek T, Schweizer P, Joch D, Portilla L, Spiecker E, Halik M. Buried Microphase Separation by Dynamic Interplay of Crystallization and Microphase Separation in Semicrystalline PEO-Rich PS- b-PEO Block Copolymer Thin Films. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Rejek
- Organic Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Materials, Department of Materials Science, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Peter Schweizer
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Daniel Joch
- Organic Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Materials, Department of Materials Science, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Luis Portilla
- Organic Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Materials, Department of Materials Science, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Marcus Halik
- Organic Materials and Devices, Institute of Polymer Materials, Department of Materials Science, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
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Posselt D, Zhang J, Smilgies DM, Berezkin AV, Potemkin II, Papadakis CM. Restructuring in block copolymer thin films: In situ GISAXS investigations during solvent vapor annealing. Prog Polym Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2016.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Altinpinar S, Zhao H, Ali W, Kappes RS, Schuchardt P, Salehi S, Santoro G, Theato P, Roth SV, Gutmann JS. Distortion of Ultrathin Photocleavable Block Copolymer Films during Photocleavage and Nanopore Formation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2015; 31:8947-52. [PMID: 26161944 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.5b00750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Highly ordered block copolymer thin films have been studied extensively during the last years because they afford versatile self-assembled morphologies via a bottom-up approach. They promise to be used in applications such as polymeric membranes or templates for nanostructured materials. Among the block copolymer structures, perpendicular cylinders have received strong attention due to their ability to fabricate highly ordered nanopores and nanowires. Nanopores can be created from a thin block copolymer film upon the removal of one block by selective etching or by dissolution of one polymer block. Here we demonstrate the utilization of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer (PS-hν-PEO) with an ortho-nitrobenzyl ester (ONB) as the photocleavable block-linker to create highly ordered thin films. Removal of the PEO block by choosing an appropriate solvent upon photocleavage is expected to yield arrays of nanopores decorated with functional groups, thus lending itself to adsorption or filtration uses. While the feasibility of this approach has been demonstrated, it is crucial to understand the influence of removal conditions (i.e., efficiency of photocleavage as well as best washing solvent) and to evaluate changes in the surface topology and inner structure upon photocleavage. To this end, the time dependence evolution of the surface morphology of block copolymer thin films was studied using grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) technique in combination with scanning probe microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sedakat Altinpinar
- †Institute for Physical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 2, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | | | - Wael Ali
- †Institute for Physical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 2, 45141 Essen, Germany
| | - Ralf S Kappes
- §Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West gGmbH, Adlerstraße 1, 47798 Krefeld, Germany
| | - Patrick Schuchardt
- †Institute for Physical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 2, 45141 Essen, Germany
- §Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West gGmbH, Adlerstraße 1, 47798 Krefeld, Germany
| | - Sahar Salehi
- §Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West gGmbH, Adlerstraße 1, 47798 Krefeld, Germany
- ∥WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, 980-8577 Sendai, Japan
| | | | | | - Stephan V Roth
- ⊥Photon Science, DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jochen S Gutmann
- †Institute for Physical Chemistry, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 2, 45141 Essen, Germany
- §Deutsches Textilforschungszentrum Nord-West gGmbH, Adlerstraße 1, 47798 Krefeld, Germany
- ∥WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, 980-8577 Sendai, Japan
- #CENIDE, University of Duisburg-Essen, Carl-Benz-Strasse 199, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
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Kipnusu WK, Elmahdy MM, Mapesa EU, Zhang J, Böhlmann W, Smilgies DM, Papadakis CM, Kremer F. Structure and Dynamics of Asymmetric Poly(styrene-b-1,4-isoprene) Diblock Copolymer under 1D and 2D Nanoconfinement. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015; 7:12328-12338. [PMID: 25660102 DOI: 10.1021/am506848s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wycliffe K Kipnusu
- †Institute of Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mahdy M Elmahdy
- †Institute of Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- ‡Department of Physics, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Emmanuel U Mapesa
- †Institute of Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jianqi Zhang
- ¶Physik-Department, Physik weicher Materie, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Winfried Böhlmann
- §Institute for Experimental Physics II, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Detlef-M Smilgies
- ∥Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS), Wilson Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Christine M Papadakis
- ¶Physik-Department, Physik weicher Materie, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Friedrich Kremer
- †Institute of Experimental Physics I, University of Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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Schulze R, Arras MML, Helbing C, Hölzer S, Schubert US, Keller TF, Jandt KD. How the Calorimetric Properties of a Crystalline Copolymer Correlate to Its Surface Nanostructures. Macromolecules 2014. [DOI: 10.1021/ma401984t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Schulze
- Chair
of Materials Science (CMS), Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research,
Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Matthias M. L. Arras
- Chair
of Materials Science (CMS), Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research,
Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Helbing
- Chair
of Materials Science (CMS), Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research,
Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan Hölzer
- Laboratory
of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldtstraße 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Ulrich S. Schubert
- Laboratory
of Organic Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry (IOMC), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Humboldtstraße 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Jena
Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Thomas F. Keller
- Chair
of Materials Science (CMS), Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research,
Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Jena
Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Klaus D. Jandt
- Chair
of Materials Science (CMS), Otto Schott Institute of Materials Research,
Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Löbdergraben 32, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Jena
Center for Soft Matter (JCSM), Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 7, 07743 Jena, Germany
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Kalloudis M, Glynos E, Pispas S, Walker J, Koutsos V. thin films of poly(isoprene-b-ethylene oxide) diblock copolymers on mica: an atomic force microscopy study. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2013; 29:2339-2349. [PMID: 23356669 DOI: 10.1021/la400041x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The structural behavior of three amphiphilic semicrystalline poly(isoprene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymers (PI-b-PEO) with different PEO volume fraction (f(PEO) = 0.32, 0.49, and 0.66), spin-coated on freshly cleaved mica surfaces from aqueous solutions, was investigated by atomic force microscopy. We focus on the dependence of the resulting thin film nanostructures on the molecular characteristics (f(PEO) and molecular weight) and the adsorbed amount. The nanostructures obtained immediately after spin-coating were robust and remained unchanged after annealing and/or aging. The PEO affinity for the highly hydrophilic mica and the tendency of the hydrophobic and low surface energy PI to dewet and be at the free interface caused the soft PI-b-PEO micelles to collapse leading to the formation of 2D dendritic networks over mica. We show that, for all three polymers, the dendritic monolayer thickness can be predicted by a model consisting of a PEO crystallized layer (directly on top of mica) of the same thickness in all cases and a PI brush layer on top. In thicker areas, polymer material self-assembled into conelike multilamellar bilayers on top of the monolayer and oriented parallel to the substrate for both symmetric and asymmetric diblock copolymers with the lowest f(PEO). We compare the lateral morphology of the films and discuss the thickness heterogeneity, which results from the coupling and competition of crystallization kinetics, phase separation, and wetting/dewetting phenomena highlighting the role of the two blocks to inhibit or enhance certain morphologies. We show that the deviation of the f(PEO) = 0.32 thin film from its bulk phase structure (cylinders in hexagonal lattice) continues for several lamellar bilayers away from the substrate. For the asymmetric PI-b-PEO polymer with the higher PEO volume fraction (f(PEO) = 0.66) and higher APT, laterally extensive stacks of flat-on lamellar crystallites formed on the surface demonstrating the crucial role of the PEO crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michail Kalloudis
- Institute for Materials and Processes, School of Engineering, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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Zhang P, Huang H, Yan D, He T. In situ study of the breakout crystallization in the poly(butadiene)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) thin film. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2012; 28:6419-6427. [PMID: 22424394 DOI: 10.1021/la300439h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Despite its wide occurrence in soft confined block co-polymers, breakout crystallization remains poorly understood and is difficult to control. In this work, thin films of cylinder-forming poly(butadiene)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PB-b-PCL) diblock co-polymers, with PCL being the minority block, have been chosen as the study subject. We demonstrate a new route to study the breakout crystallization by obtaining the microphase separation structure within terraced lamellae first and then in situ tracking down the lamellar coalescence, resulting from the development of the crystal growth front. We find that the crystal growth front has sucked materials from the surrounding amorphous lamellae, which lead to the decrease of the lamellar zones and coalescence of the microphase separation structure. Dividing the breakout crystallization into parallel breakout and vertical breakout, we illustrate that it is the crystallization-driven molecular diffusion that make the molecules overcome the topography constraint and grow into large-scale spherulite. Moreover, the results show that the polymer microphase separation structure has a significant influence on the crystal nucleation and greatly retarded the crystal growth rate. With a well-designed microphase separation structure within terraces and an easily tunable atomic force microscopy in situ imaging technique, an intensive study of the breakout crystallization and concomitant microdomain coalescence has been offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, People's Republic of China
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