Micelle shape transitions in block copolymer/homopolymer blends: Comparison of self-consistent field theory with experiment

Greenall, M.J.; Buzza, D.M.A.; McLeish, T.C.B.

doi:10.1063/1.3170938

Micelle shape transitions in block copolymer/homopolymer blends: Comparison of self-consistent field theory with experiment

Greenall, M.J.; Buzza, D.M.A.; McLeish, T.C.B.

Authors

M.J. Greenall

D.M.A. Buzza

T.C.B. McLeish

Abstract

Diblock copolymers blended with homopolymer may self-assemble into spherical, cylindrical, or lamellar aggregates. Transitions between these structures may be driven by varying the homopolymer diblock molecular weight or composition. Using self-consistent field theory (SCFT), we reproduce these effects. Our results are compared to x-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy measurements by Kinning et al. and good agreement is found, although the tendency to form cylindrical and lamellar structures is sometimes overestimated due to our neglect of edge effects due to the finite size of these aggregates. Our results demonstrate that SCFT can provide detailed information on the self-assembly of isolated block copolymer aggregates.

Citation

Greenall, M., Buzza, D., & McLeish, T. (2009). Micelle shape transitions in block copolymer/homopolymer blends: Comparison of self-consistent field theory with experiment. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 131(3), Article 034904. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3170938

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jul 1, 2009
Deposit Date	Oct 31, 2011
Publicly Available Date	Jan 12, 2012
Journal	Journal of Chemical Physics
Print ISSN	0021-9606
Electronic ISSN	1089-7690
Publisher	American Institute of Physics
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	131
Issue	3
Article Number	034904
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3170938
Keywords	Colloids, Polymer blends, SCF calculations, Self-assembly, Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray scattering.

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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2009 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Greenall, M.J. and Buzza, D.M.A. and McLeish, T.C.B. (2009) 'Micelle shape transitions in block copolymer/homopolymer blends : comparison of self-consistent field theory with experiment.', Journal of chemical physics., 131 (3). 034904 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3170938