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.

Phase Behavior of Block Copolymers in Selective Solvents

Phase Behavior of Block Copolymers in Selective Solvents
Author: Yongsheng Liu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

Abstract: The goal of this research is to study the phase behavior and kinetics of order-order (OOT) and order-disorder (ODT) phase transitions in block copolymers in selective solvents. We focus on examining temperature and pressure dependence of the phase diagram and the kinetics of phase transitions using small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The kinetics of ODT and OOT was studied for two block copolymer solutions by time-resolved SAXS using temperature ramp and fast quench methods: (i) Poly(styrene- b -isoprene) (PS-PI) diblock copolymer in tetradecane, selective solvent for PI, which displayed face-centered-cubic (FCC) structure at low temperature, body-centered-cubic (BCC) at intermediate temperature, and was disordered at high temperature. Following a quench from 110 C to 50 C, a long-lived meta-stable BCC phase was detected prior to the formation of FCC. The data agrees very well with Cahn's model for nucleation and growth. (ii) Poly(styrene- b -ethylene- co -butylene- b -styrene) triblock copolymer in dibutyl phthaphate, selective solvent for PS, which displayed hexagonally packed cylinders (HEX) at low temperature and lamellar (LAM) phase at high temperatures. This is unusual because in most block copolymer melts LAM occurs at lower temperature than HEX. A geometric model was developed to understand the mechanism of the transition from LAM to HEX. The calculated scattering intensity agrees very well with the experimental data. A pressure network system for SAXS capable of operating in the range of 1-4000 bars with pressure jump capability was built to study the pressure dependence of phase behavior. The system was used to investigate PS-PI diblock copolymer in diethyl phthaphate. The BCC to disorder transition temperature increased with pressure at 20 C/kbar, and the lattice constant increased with pressure. Brownian Molecular Dynamics simulations were carried out to study the phase behavior of multiblock copolymers in a selective solvent. Disordered, BCC, HEX, and LAM phases were obtained depending on the concentration and number of blocks. This research provides detailed information of the kinetics of structural changes in block copolymers in selective solvents. The results provide a good understanding of the mechanism of order-disorder and order-order transitions, and are directly related to industrial applications of block copolymers.

Soft-Matter Characterization

Soft-Matter Characterization
Author: Redouane Borsali
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 1490
Release: 2008-07-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 140204464X

This 2-volume set includes extensive discussions of scattering techniques (light, neutron and X-ray) and related fluctuation and grating techniques that are at the forefront of this field. Most of the scattering techniques are Fourier space techniques. Recent advances have seen the development of powerful direct imaging methods such as atomic force microscopy and scanning probe microscopy. In addition, techniques that can be used to manipulate soft matter on the nanometer scale are also in rapid development. These include the scanning probe microscopy technique mentioned above as well as optical and magnetic tweezers.

Block Copolymers in Solution

Block Copolymers in Solution
Author: Ian W. Hamley
Publisher: Wiley
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 II

Block Copolymers II
Author: Volker Abetz
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2005-12-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9783540269021

. A.J. M ller, V. Balsamo, M.L. Arnal: Nucleation and Crystallization in Diblock and Triblock Copolymers.- 2 J.-F. Gohy: Block Copolymer Micelles.- 3 M.A. Hillmyer: Nanoporous Materials from Block Copolymer Precursors.- 4 M. Li, C. Coenjarts, C.K. Ober: Patternable Block Copolymers.-