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Title: Extreme Deflection of Phase Boundaries and Chain Bridging in A(BA')n Miktoarm Star Polymers

Abstract

In this study, we use self-consistent field theory to demonstrate that the A(BA')n miktoarm architecture can strongly deflect order–order phase boundaries to large volume fractions fA. The A(BA')n architecture achieves this strong deflection by combining the effects of miktoarm frustration and block bidispersity and is shown to stabilize discrete spheres and cylinders of the A block up to values of $$f_A$$ = 0.58 and $$f_A$$ = 0.78, respectively. Next, we analyze the prevalence of chain bridging $$ν_B$$ in both neat miktoarm melts and in homopolymer blends that form the fluctuation-stabilized “bricks and mortar” phase. These calculations demonstrate that high $$ν_B$$ and $$f_A$$ can both be simultaneously achieved with highly asymmetric miktoarm stars, a property especially useful for the design of tough thermoplastic elastomers. Lastly, we show that these miktoarms exhibit large windows of phase space where the σ and A15 Frank–Kasper phases are stable.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1594760
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0019001; CNS-1725797; DMR-1720256
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Macromolecules
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 53; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0024-9297
Publisher:
American Chemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Morphology; Interfaces; Homopolymers; Mathematical methods; Phase transitions

Citation Formats

Lequieu, Joshua, Koeper, Trenton, Delaney, Kris T., and Fredrickson, Glenn H. Extreme Deflection of Phase Boundaries and Chain Bridging in A(BA')n Miktoarm Star Polymers. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02254.
Lequieu, Joshua, Koeper, Trenton, Delaney, Kris T., & Fredrickson, Glenn H. Extreme Deflection of Phase Boundaries and Chain Bridging in A(BA')n Miktoarm Star Polymers. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02254
Lequieu, Joshua, Koeper, Trenton, Delaney, Kris T., and Fredrickson, Glenn H. Wed . "Extreme Deflection of Phase Boundaries and Chain Bridging in A(BA')n Miktoarm Star Polymers". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02254. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1594760.
@article{osti_1594760,
title = {Extreme Deflection of Phase Boundaries and Chain Bridging in A(BA')n Miktoarm Star Polymers},
author = {Lequieu, Joshua and Koeper, Trenton and Delaney, Kris T. and Fredrickson, Glenn H.},
abstractNote = {In this study, we use self-consistent field theory to demonstrate that the A(BA')n miktoarm architecture can strongly deflect order–order phase boundaries to large volume fractions fA. The A(BA')n architecture achieves this strong deflection by combining the effects of miktoarm frustration and block bidispersity and is shown to stabilize discrete spheres and cylinders of the A block up to values of $f_A$ = 0.58 and $f_A$ = 0.78, respectively. Next, we analyze the prevalence of chain bridging $ν_B$ in both neat miktoarm melts and in homopolymer blends that form the fluctuation-stabilized “bricks and mortar” phase. These calculations demonstrate that high $ν_B$ and $f_A$ can both be simultaneously achieved with highly asymmetric miktoarm stars, a property especially useful for the design of tough thermoplastic elastomers. Lastly, we show that these miktoarms exhibit large windows of phase space where the σ and A15 Frank–Kasper phases are stable.},
doi = {10.1021/acs.macromol.9b02254},
journal = {Macromolecules},
number = 2,
volume = 53,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jan 08 00:00:00 EST 2020},
month = {Wed Jan 08 00:00:00 EST 2020}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

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