Self-assembly is a powerful paradigm, wherein molecules spontaneously form ordered phases exhibiting well-defined nanoscale periodicity and shapes. However, the inherent energy-minimization aspect of self-assembly yields a very limited set of morphologies, such as lamellae or hexagonally packed cylinders. Here, we show how soft self-assembling materials—block copolymer thin films—can be manipulated to form a diverse library of previously unreported morphologies. In this iterative assembly process, each polymer layer acts as both a structural component of the final morphology and a template for directing the order of subsequent layers. Specifically, block copolymer films are immobilized on surfaces, and template successive layers through subtle surface topography. As a result, this strategy generates an enormous variety of three-dimensional morphologies that are absent in the native block copolymer phase diagram.
@article{osti_1347375,
author = {Rahman, Atikur and Majewski, Pawel W. and Doerk, Gregory and Black, Charles T. and Yager, Kevin G.},
title = {Non-native three-dimensional block copolymer morphologies},
annote = {Self-assembly is a powerful paradigm, wherein molecules spontaneously form ordered phases exhibiting well-defined nanoscale periodicity and shapes. However, the inherent energy-minimization aspect of self-assembly yields a very limited set of morphologies, such as lamellae or hexagonally packed cylinders. Here, we show how soft self-assembling materials—block copolymer thin films—can be manipulated to form a diverse library of previously unreported morphologies. In this iterative assembly process, each polymer layer acts as both a structural component of the final morphology and a template for directing the order of subsequent layers. Specifically, block copolymer films are immobilized on surfaces, and template successive layers through subtle surface topography. As a result, this strategy generates an enormous variety of three-dimensional morphologies that are absent in the native block copolymer phase diagram.},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms13988},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1347375},
journal = {Nature Communications},
issn = {ISSN 2041-1723},
volume = {7},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
year = {2016},
month = {12}}