Block Copolymers in Solution

Block Copolymers in Solution
Author: Ian W. Hamley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2005-12-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0470016973

This unique text discusses the solution self-assembly of block copolymers and covers all aspects from basic physical chemistry to applications in soft nanotechnology. Recent advances have enabled the preparation of new materials with novel self-assembling structures, functionality and responsiveness and there have also been concomitant advances in theory and modelling. The present text covers the principles of self-assembly in both dilute and concentrated solution, for example micellization and mesophase formation, etc., in chapters 2 and 3 respectively. Chapter 4 covers polyelectrolyte block copolymers - these materials are attracting significant attention from researchers and a solid basis for understanding their physical chemistry is emerging, and this is discussed. The next chapter discusses adsorption of block copolymers from solution at liquid and solid interfaces. The concluding chapter presents a discussion of selected applications, focussing on several important new concepts. The book is aimed at researchers in polymer science as well as industrial scientists involved in the polymer and coatings industries. It will also be of interest to scientists working in soft matter self-assembly and self-organizing polymers.

Block Copolymers

Block Copolymers
Author: Nikos Hadjichristidis
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 445
Release: 2003-04-28
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0471461342

Polymers may be classified as either homopolymers, consisting of one single repeating unit, or copolymers, consisting of two or more distinct repeating units. Block copolymers contain long contiguous blocks of two or more repeating units in the same polymer chain. Covering one of the hottest topics in polymer chemistry, Block Copolymers provides a coherent overview of the synthetic routes, physical properties, and applications of block copolymers. This pioneering text provides not only a guideline for developing synthetic strategies for creating block copolymers with defined characteristics, but also a key to the relationship between the physical properties of block copolymers and the structure and dynamics of materials. Covering features of the chemistry and physics of block copolymers that are not found in comparable texts, Block Copolymers illustrates the structure-activity relationship of block copolymers and offers suggestions for the design of specific applications. Divided into five sections-Block Copolymers includes chapters on: * Block Copolymers by Chemical Modification of Precursor Polymers * Nonlinear Block Copolymers * Adsorption of Block Copolymers at Solid-Liquid Interfaces * Theory of Block Copolymer Segregation * Phase Transformation Kinetics * Block Copolymer Morphology * Block Copolymer Dynamics Polymer chemists, physicists, chemical engineers, and materials scientists, as well as graduate students in polymer science, will find Block Copolymers to be an invaluable text.

Phase Behavior and Kinetics of Cylinder to Sphere Transition in Block Copolymers in Selective Solvents

Phase Behavior and Kinetics of Cylinder to Sphere Transition in Block Copolymers in Selective Solvents
Author: Minghai Li
Publisher:
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

Abstract: The main goal of this dissertation is to study the phase behavior and kinetics of cylinder to sphere phase transition in block copolymers in selective solvents using time- resolved small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS), rheology, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), modeling and simulation. Block copolymers consist of two or more chemically distinct polymer blocks connected by a covalent bond. The incompatibility of the constituent blocks leads to phase separation on length scales of 10-1000 nm instead of bulk phase separation. The addition of a selective solvent which preferentially solubilizes one of the components further enriches the phase behavior and provides easier control over the morphology of micellar domains. Although many studies have been made on the phase diagrams of block copolymer solutions the kinetics of phase transitions between two different crystalline symmetries are less understood. The experiments were conducted on a triblock copolymer of poly(styrene- b -ethylene- co -butylene- b -styrene) (SEBS), in mineral oil, a solvent selective to middle EB block. AFM measurements clearly showed the cylindrical micelles arranged hexagonally (HEX) at 110°C. Synchrotron based time-resolved SAXS measurements showed that the transition from HEX to spherical micelles arranged on body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice occurs via a nucleation and growth mechanism for shallow temperature jumps and via spinodal decomposition for deep temperature jumps. We developed a geometrical model of coupled anisotropic fluctuations to calculate the scattering and found very good agreement with the SAXS data. Brownian Molecular Dynamics simulations were carried out to provide microscopic insights on the HEX to cubic transition. HEX, face-centered cubic (FCC), lamellar, and hexagonally perforated lamellar ordered phases were obtained depending on the concentration, temperature and solvent selectivity. Kinetics of HEX to FCC was examined by quenching the temperature or rapidly changing the well-depth of the Lennard-Jones potential used in the simulation. The observations from snapshots, density profiles and calculated scattering intensity all agree well with the nucleation and growth mechanism. This work provides a detailed understanding of the mechanism and kinetics of phase transition of cylinders to spheres in block copolymer solution system. The results have relevance to block copolymer processing and other applications.

Ordering in Macromolecular Systems

Ordering in Macromolecular Systems
Author: Akio Teramoto
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3642788939

This volume summarizes the papers presented at the First Osaka University Macromolecular Symposium OUMS'93 on "Ordering in Macromolecular Systems", which was held at Senri Life Science Center, Osaka, Japan, on June 3 through June 6, 1993. The symposium covered the three topics, (1) Crystallization and Phase Transitions, (2) Polymer Liquid Crystals and (3) Block Copolymers, Polymer Blends and Surfaces, and invited leading scientists in these fields. At present any of these topics is a hot issue in itself and frequently taken up separately in many occasions. It is noted however that all these topics are correlated with each other with the keyword "Ordering" and their combination provides a unique feature of the present symposium in reflecting the interactions among investigators working in these important fields with the common ground expressed by the keyword "Ordering". Nineteen invited lectures and 40 posters of both experiment and theory were presented at the symposium, and the eighteen lectures and ten poster presentations contribute to this volume. In the first topic crystal structures and their transitions were discussed from kinetic as well as static points of view; attention was paid to give a molecular-level interpretation of the structure, phase transition and physical properties, using theories and simulations. The second topic was mainly concerned with static structures and thermodynamic properties of polymer liquid crystals including phase behaviours.

Kinetics of Phase Transitions

Kinetics of Phase Transitions
Author: Sanjay Puri
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2009-03-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1420008366

Providing a comprehensive introduction with the necessary background material to make it accessible for a wide scientific audience, Kinetics of Phase Transitions discusses developments in domain-growth kinetics. This book combines pedagogical chapters from leading experts in this area and focuses on incorporating various experimentally releva