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Title: Long-Range Order of Cylinders in Diblock Copolymer Thin Films Using Graphoepitaxy

Abstract

Topographically patterned substrates are known to induce long-range lateral order in spherical diblock copolymers, but it is not clear that similar confinement will also order cylindrical diblock copolymers across the whole surface. The role of graphoepitaxial parameters including trough width and mesa height on the ordering process of cylindrical domains in diblock copolymers thin films is monitored in this study. The quantification of order was achieved by the calculation of an order parameter of the hexagonally packed cylinders. These results demonstrate that graphoepitaxy is an effective method to induce long-range order in cylindrical domain diblock copolymer systems. An increase in order was observed in samples prepared on the mesas and in troughs of widths up to 20 m, and mesa heights greater than 1.0 but less than 5.0 L0 The role of molecular weight on the kinetics of the ordering process of cylindrical domains in diblock copolymers thin films is also monitored in this study, where ordering is readily observed for lower molecular weight copolymers (number average molecular weight, Mn=63,000), but not for larger copolymers (Mn=230,000). The reduction of the rate of formation of long-range order is attributed to the impeded diffusion of higher molecular weight polymers. These results demonstratemore » that there will exist upper limits on the molecular weights of diblock copolymers that can be used to create nanoscale templates with longrange order, which also translates to an upper limit in pore size and spacing in these templates.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
  2. ORNL
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC)
OSTI Identifier:
1039639
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Thin Solid Films
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 518; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 0040-6090
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; CONFINEMENT; COPOLYMERS; DIFFUSION; KINETICS; MOLECULAR WEIGHT; ORDER PARAMETERS; POLYMERS; SUBSTRATES; THIN FILMS

Citation Formats

Fontana, S. M., Dadmun, Mark D, and Lowndes, Douglas H. Long-Range Order of Cylinders in Diblock Copolymer Thin Films Using Graphoepitaxy. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2009.10.161.
Fontana, S. M., Dadmun, Mark D, & Lowndes, Douglas H. Long-Range Order of Cylinders in Diblock Copolymer Thin Films Using Graphoepitaxy. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2009.10.161
Fontana, S. M., Dadmun, Mark D, and Lowndes, Douglas H. 2010. "Long-Range Order of Cylinders in Diblock Copolymer Thin Films Using Graphoepitaxy". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2009.10.161.
@article{osti_1039639,
title = {Long-Range Order of Cylinders in Diblock Copolymer Thin Films Using Graphoepitaxy},
author = {Fontana, S. M. and Dadmun, Mark D and Lowndes, Douglas H},
abstractNote = {Topographically patterned substrates are known to induce long-range lateral order in spherical diblock copolymers, but it is not clear that similar confinement will also order cylindrical diblock copolymers across the whole surface. The role of graphoepitaxial parameters including trough width and mesa height on the ordering process of cylindrical domains in diblock copolymers thin films is monitored in this study. The quantification of order was achieved by the calculation of an order parameter of the hexagonally packed cylinders. These results demonstrate that graphoepitaxy is an effective method to induce long-range order in cylindrical domain diblock copolymer systems. An increase in order was observed in samples prepared on the mesas and in troughs of widths up to 20 m, and mesa heights greater than 1.0 but less than 5.0 L0 The role of molecular weight on the kinetics of the ordering process of cylindrical domains in diblock copolymers thin films is also monitored in this study, where ordering is readily observed for lower molecular weight copolymers (number average molecular weight, Mn=63,000), but not for larger copolymers (Mn=230,000). The reduction of the rate of formation of long-range order is attributed to the impeded diffusion of higher molecular weight polymers. These results demonstrate that there will exist upper limits on the molecular weights of diblock copolymers that can be used to create nanoscale templates with longrange order, which also translates to an upper limit in pore size and spacing in these templates.},
doi = {10.1016/j.tsf.2009.10.161},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1039639}, journal = {Thin Solid Films},
issn = {0040-6090},
number = 10,
volume = 518,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010},
month = {Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2010}
}