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Title: Magnetic alignment of block copolymer microdomains by intrinsic chain anisotropy

Journal Article · · Physical Review Letters
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  1. Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)
  2. Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
  3. Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

We examine the role of intrinsic chain susceptibility anisotropy in magnetic field directed self-assembly of a block copolymer using in situ x-ray scattering. Alignment of a lamellar mesophase is observed on cooling across the disorder-order transition with the resulting orientational order inversely proportional to the cooling rate. We discuss the origin of the susceptibility anisotropy, Δχ, that drives alignment and calculate its magnitude using coarse-grained molecular dynamics to sample conformations of surface-tethered chains, finding Δχ ≈ 2×10–8. From field-dependent scattering data, we estimate that grains of ≈ 1.2 μm are present during alignment. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that intrinsic anisotropy is sufficient to support strong field-induced mesophase alignment and suggest a versatile strategy for field control of orientational order in block copolymers.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC00112704; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1246786
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1233966
Report Number(s):
BNL-111841-2016-JA; PRLTAO; R&D Project: 16077; KC0403020
Journal Information:
Physical Review Letters, Vol. 115, Issue 25; ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 48 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Directed Assembly of Hybrid Nanomaterials and Nanocomposites journal March 2018
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Creep-induced anisotropy in covalent adaptable network polymers journal January 2017
Polymer-based multiferroic nanocomposites via directed block copolymer self-assembly journal January 2019
Rapid ordering of block copolymer thin films journal August 2016
Soft nanostructured films for directing the assembly of functional materials journal March 2017
Reorientation mechanisms of block copolymer/CdSe quantum dot composites under application of an electric field text January 2016
Reorientation mechanisms of block copolymer/CdSe quantum dot composites under application of an electric field journal January 2016