Ordered Bicontinuous Network Structures Regulated by Orientational Interactions in a Rod-Coil Block Copolymer

The rich phase behavior of block copolymers(BCPs)has drawn great attention in recent years.However,the double diamond(DD)phase is rarely obtained because of the competition between the minimization of interfacial energy and packing frustration.Here,a rod-coil BCP containing mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymer is designed to acquire ordered bicontinuous network nanostructures.The reduction of internal energy originating from the orientational interaction among the rod blocks can compensate for the free energy penalty of packing frustration to stabilize the DD structure.The resulting BCP can also experience lamellae-to-DD and double gyroid-to-lamellae transitions by changing the annealing temperature.These results make the rod-coil BCP an excellent candidate for the self-assembly of ordered network structures,demonstrating great potential in nanopatterning and metamaterials.

A Non-parametric Gradient-Based Shape Optimization Approach for Solving Inverse Problems in Directed Self-Assemblyof Block Copolymers

We consider the inverse problem of finding guiding pattern shapes that result in desired self-assembly morphologies of block copolymer melts.Specifically,we model polymer selfassembly using the self-consistent field theory and derive,in a non-parametric setting,the sensitivity of the dissimilarity between the desired and the actual morphologies to arbitrary perturbations in the guiding pattern shape.The sensitivity is then used for the optimization of the confining pattern shapes such that the dissimilarity between the desired and the actual morphologies is minimized.The efficiency and robustness of the proposed gradient-based algorithm are demonstrated in a number of examples related to templating vertical interconnect accesses(VIA).

Self-assembly of monodisperse polymer microspheres from PPQ-b-PEG rod-coil block copolymers inselective solvents

Poly(phenylquinoline)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)(PPQ-b-PEG) rod-coil block co- polymers possess the self-assembly behavior in selective solvents. The copolymers in the mixed solvents of V(trifluoroacetic acid, TFA)︰V(dichloromethane, DCM)=1︰1 can self-assemble into polymer hollow microspheres with diameters of a few micrometers. The polymer hollow micro- spheres are monodisperse, and the diameters of them increase with an increased polymerization degree of the PPQ rigid-rod block. The solution concentration has no effect on the microsphere diameter, but spherical surface shows burrs when the solution concentration is too low. It has been found that the obtained dilute solution has the strongest absorption peak at 376 nm and strongest emissionpeak at 604 nm by the spectroscopy analysis.

SELF-ASSEMBLY OF ROD-COIL DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS——INFLUENCE OF THE ROD LENGTH

The self-assembly of five narrowly distributed novel rod-coil diblock copolymers, poly(styrene-block-(2, 5-bis[4-methoxy-phenyl]oxycarbonyl) styrene) (PS-b-PMPCS), in p-xylene, a selective solvent at room temperature, was studied. Therod-coil copolymers, which have the same PS length but different PMPCS length, were synthesized by 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-I-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) mediated living free radical polymerization. The influence of the rod length on the self-assemblymorphology was studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At a concentration of 2.0 mg/mL, those copolymerswith relatively shorter PMPCS length (copolymers 1 and 2) form individual spherical micelles; those with relatively longerPMPCS length (copolymer 3 and 4) form 'pearl chains' coexisting with individual spherical micelles; the ones with longestPMPCS length form 'pearl chains' coexisting with occasionally formed nanofibers. The diameter of all the morphologieswas controlled by the rod length. This gives us a way to govern the self-assembly morphology by altering the length of oneblock in the block copolymer.

Selective swelling of polysulfone/poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymer towards fouling-resistant ultrafiltration membranes

Fouling resistance of ultrafiltration(UF) membranes is critical for their long-term usages in terms of stable performance, so convenient approaches to prepare fouling-resistant membranes are always anticipated. Herein, we demonstrate the facile fabrication of antifouling polysulfone-block-poly(ethylene glycol)(PSF-b-PEG, SFEG)composite membranes. SFEG layer was coated onto macroporous supports and cavitated by immerging them in acetone/n-propanol following the mechanism of selective swelling induced pore generation. Thus-produced SFEG membranes possessed high permeance and excellent mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the structures and separation performances of the SFEG layers can be continuously tuned through simply changing swelling durations. More importantly, the hydrophilic PEG chains were spontaneously enriched onto the pore walls through swelling treatment, endowing intrinsic antifouling property to the SFEG membranes. Bovine serum albumin(BSA)/humic acid(HA) fouling tests proved the prominent fouling resistance of SFEG membranes, and the fouling resistance is expected to be long-standing because of the firm connection between PEG chains and PSF matrix by covalent bonding.

Synthesis and Properties of a New Kind of High Performance Composite Resin Matrix-Poly (Aryl Ether Ketones)/Poly (Ether Sulfone) Block Copolymers

A new kind of high performance composite resin matrix PEEK/PES, PEEKK/PES block copolymers have been prepared from the corresponding oligomers via a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction. The different properties of the copolymers are investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (d. s. c), thermogravimetric analysis (t. g. a) and dynamic mechanical analysis (d. m. a). The results show that the relationship between Tg and the compositions of the copolymers approximately follows the formula 1/Tg=W1/Tg1 +W2/Tg2 for PEEKK/PES block copolymers, and Tg=Tg1W1 +Tg2W2 for PEEK/PES block copolymers. The PES content and the segment length of the copolymers have a significant influence on their melting point. The thermal properties and dynamic mechanical behaviour of the copolymers are also studied. The introduction of PES segment into the molecular main chain increases the glass transition temperature of poly aryl ether ketones and decreases their melting temperature, that is to say it decreases their melting processing temperature. The block copolymers keep the high temperature stability and solvent resistance of poly aryl ether ketones. They are expected to be a new kind of high performance composite resin matrix.

Synthesis of poly[methyl(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)siloxane]-b-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers

A series of new amphiphilic poly[methyl（3,3,3-trifluoropropyl）siloxane]-b-poly（ethylene oxide） （PMTFPS-b-PEO） diblock copolymers with different ratios of hydrophobic segment to hydrophilic segment were prepared by coupling reactions of end-functlonal PMTFPS and PEO homopolymers. Copolymers were shown to be well defined and narrow molecular weight distribution （MWD） （1.07-1.3） by characterizations such as gel permeation chromatography （GPC） and ^1H-nudear magnetic resonance （^1H-NMR）.

Epoxidation of Styrene-Isoprene-Styrene Block Copolymer and Research on Its Reaction Mechanism

Styrene-isoprene-styrene（SIS） block copolymer was modified into epoxidized styrene-isoprene-styrene（ESIS） block copolymer with performic acid generated in situ from hydrogen peroxide and formic acid.The structure and property of ESIS were characterized by Fourier transform infrared（FT-IR） spectroscopy,gel permeation chromatography（GPC）,thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric（TG/DTG）,melt flow rate（MFR） and dynamic mechanical analysis（DMA）,and the reaction mechanism in the process of epoxidation was analyzed.The results showed that C=C double bonds of 1,4-structure were more active than that of 3,4-structure in polyisoprene chains.With epoxidation reaction proceeding,the whole tendency of molecular weight increased and molecular weight distribution widened,and MFR firstly increased and latterly decreased.The heat resistance of ESIS was superior to that of SIS.When SIS was changed into ESIS with 15.3% of mass fraction of epoxide groups,Tg of polyisoprene chains increased from-45.3 ℃ to 10.9 ℃.In the earlier period of epoxidation,some molecular chains ruptured and new substances with low molecular weight formed.However,in the latter period,crosslinking reaction between molecular chains which was initiated by epoxide groups or C=C double bonds occurred and crosslinked insoluble substances came into being.

Synthesis and characterization of H-type amphiphilic liquid crystalline block copolymers by ATRP

H-type amphiphilic liquid crystalline block copolymers containing azobenzene were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP）. Macroinitiators prepared by the esterification between poly（ethylene oxide） （PEG） and 2,2-dichloroacetyl chloride were utilized to initiate the polymerization of 6-[4-（4-ethoxyphenylazo）phenoxy]hexyl rnethacrylate （M6C）. The resulting macroinitiators and block copolymers were characterized by ^1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography （GPC）. Polarizing optical microscopy （POM） and differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） preliminarily revealed the liquid crystalline property of these block copolymers. This series of liquid crystalline block copolymers are promising in some areas, such as optical data storage, optical switch, and molecular devices.

Y-shaped block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) synthesized by ATRP

Novel Y-shaped block copolymers of poly（ethylene glycol） and poly（N-isopropylacrylamide）, PEG-b-（PNIPAM）2, were successfully synthesized through atom transfer radical polymerization （ATRP）. A difunctional macroinitiator was prepared by esterification of 2,2-dichloroacetyl chloride with poly（ethylene glycol） monomethyl ether （PEG）. The copolymers were obtained via the ATRP ofN-isopropylacrylamide （NIPAM） at 30℃ with CuCl/Me6TREN as a catalyst system and DMF/H2O （v/v = 3：1） mixture as solvent. The resulting copolymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography （GPC） and ^1H NMR. These block copolymers show controllable molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions （PDI 〈 1.15）. Their phase transition temperatures and the corresponding enthalpy changes in aqueous solution were measured by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. As a result, the phase transition temperature of PEG45-b-（PNIPAM55）2 is higher than that of PNIPAM, however, the corresponding enthalpy change is much lower, indicating the significant influence of the macromolecular composition and architecture on the phase transition.

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HYDROPHOBIC-HYDROPHILIC MULTIBLOCK COPOLYMERS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

The synthesis and characterization of amphiphilic copolymers of poly（dimethyl siloxane）(PDMS),poly（ethylene oxide）(PEO), and heparin（Hep） were investigated. These multiblock copolymers wereidentified using;H-NMR, FTIR, end group analysis, and sulfur elemental analysis. The multiblockcopolymers were characterized by using DSC and X-ray diffractometry. The glass transition temperature,crystalline melting characteristics, annealing effect, and cold crystallization of the block copolymers weredetermined by DSC. The crystallinity of the block copolymers was also determined by X-ray diffractionmethod.

Mushroom-shaped Morphology Formed in Thin Films of Cylinder-forming Block Copolymer

The morphology of the film of polystyrene-block-poly（methyl methacrylate）（PS-b-PMMA） block copolymer having polystyrene（PS） cylinder forming composition spin-coated on a neutral brush modified silicon substrate has been investigated in this report. A mushroom-shaped morphology formed in the film with one period to two periods（L0--2L0） in thickness, which was spin-coated under a low humidity condition（RH ca.13%） and then thermally annealed at an extreme high temperature（230 ℃）. The results suggest that the spin-coating condition together with the confinement conditions plays a crucial role in the interesting morphology formation.

NUCLEATION AND CRYSTALLIZATION OF H-SHAPED(PS)_2PEG(PS)_2 BLOCK COPOLYMERS

A series of H-shaped （PS）2PEG（PS）2 block copolymers with different PS chain lengths were prepared. The influence of different confinements active on the crystallization and self-nucleation （SN） behavior of the PEG blocks was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry （DSC）. When the content of the crystalline block was high, a classical SN behavior was obtained. The block copolymer with PEG content of 49% （by weight） showed a classical SN behavior with a narrow self-nucleation domain and had bimodal crystallization exotherms. When the PEG dispersed as separated microdomains in the block copolymer, the self-nucleation domain disappeared and only annealing was observed.

An Observation on the Microphase Separation of Poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-Polystyrene Copolymer

The phase behavior of a well-defined poly(methyl methacrylate)- b- polystyrene block copolymer was studied by transmission electron microscope. The results show that a microphase transition may have occurred in the copolymer film. A kind of lamellae and an ordered bicontinuous double-diamond morphology are observed clearly. The lamellar morphology reveals a larger period of about 400 nm.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(phthalazinone ether nitrile) (PPEN)-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) block copolymers

Block copolymers with different backbone compositions have been prepared by the condensation of dimethylamino terminated poly（dimethylsiloxane） （PDMS） and hydroquinone terminated poly（phthalazinone ether nitrile） （PPEN） in the presence of chlorobenzcne/N-methyl pyrrolidone （NMP） as solvents. The products were characterized by FTIR, ^1H NMR and gel permeation chromatography. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that the block copolymers showed separated microphase.

Synthesis of Well-Defined Dendritic-Linear Diblock and Triblock Copolymers by Controlled Free Radical Polymerization

The design and synthesis of novel dendritic-linear block copolymers were described. The copolymers were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using dendritic polyarylether 2-bromoisobutyrate macroinitiator. ATRP carried out in bulk with CuBr/bipy catalyst at 120癈, yielded well-defined block copolymers with polydispersities less than 1.36.

Synthesis and characteristic of double hydrophilic block copolymer with amine pendant chains

Novel double hydrophilic block copolymers with amine pendant chains were synthesized by polymerization of 4-vinyl benzylamine hydrochloric salt using 4,4′-azo-bis[4-cyanopentanoate poly（ethylene glycol） ester] as macroazoinitiator. The structures of the copolymers were characterized by ^1H NMR, FTIR spectra and acid-base titration, GPC-MALS techniques.

Block copolymer electrolyte with adjustable functional units for solid polymer lithium metal battery

Solid polymer electrolytes have been considered as the promising candidates to improve the safety and stability of high-energy lithium metal batteries.However,the practical applications of solid polymer electrolytes are still limited by the low ionic conductivity,poor interfacial contact with electrodes,narrow electrochemical window and weak mechanical strength.Here,a series of novel block copolymer electrolytes with three-dimensional networks are designed by cross-linked copolymerization of the polyethylene glycol soft segments and hexamethylene diisocyanate trimer hard segments.Their ionic migration performances and interface compatibilities with Li metal anode have been optimized delicately by tailoring the ratio of these functional units.The optimized block copolymer electrolyte has shown an amorphous crystalline structure,a high ionic conductivity of ~5.7×10^(-4)S cm^(-1),high lithium ion transference number(~0.49),wide electrochemical window up to ~4.65 V(vs.Li+/Li) and favorable mechanical strength at 55℃.Furthermore,the enhanced interface compatibility can well support the normal operations of lithium metal batteries using both LiFePO4 and LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathodes.This study not only paves a new way to develop solid polymer electrolyte with optimizing functional units,but also provides a polymer electrolyte design strategy for the application demand of lithium metal battery.

Directed self-assembly of block copolymers for sub-10 nm fabrication

Directed self-assembly(DSA)emerges as one of the most promising new patterning techniques for single digit miniaturization and next generation lithography.DSA achieves high-resolution patterning by molecular assembly that circumvents the diffraction limit of conventional photolithography.Recently,the International Roadmap for Devices and Systems listed DSA as one of the advanced lithography techniques for the fabrication of 3-5 nm technology node devices.DSA can be combined with other lithography techniques,such as extreme ultra violet(EUV)and 193 nm immersion(193i),to further enhance the patterning resolution and the device density.So far,DSA has demonstrated its superior ability for the fabrication of nanoscale devices,such as fin field effect transistor and bit pattern media,offering a variety of configurations for high-density integration and low-cost manufacturing.Over 1 T in-2 device density can be achieved either by direct templating or coupled with nanoimprinting to improve the throughput.The development of high x block copolymer further enhances the patterning resolution of DSA.In addition to its superiority in high-resolution patterning,the implementation ofDSA on a 300 mm pivot line fully demonstrates its potential for large-scale,high-throughput,and cost-effective manufacturing in industrial environment.

Phase transition of a diblock copolymer and homopolymer hybrid system induced by different properties of nanorods

We investigated phase transitions in a diblock copolymer–homopolymer hybrid system blended with nanorods(NRs)by using the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau theory.We systematically studied the effects of the number,length and infiltration properties of the NRs on the self-assembly of the composites and the phase transitions occurring in the material.An analysis of the phase diagram was carried out to obtain the formation conditions of sea island structure nanorodbased aggregate,sea island structure nanorod-based dispersion,lamellar structure nanorod-based multilayer arrangement and nanowire structure.Further analysis of the evolution of the domain sizes and the distribution of the nanorod angle microphase structure was performed.Our simulation provides theoretical guidance for the preparation of ordered nanowire structures and a reference to improve the function of a polymer nanocomposite material.