Responsive Block Copolymers: Transformations in the Solid State
Abstract
We discovered that poly(styrene-b-solketal methacrylate) (PS-b-PSM) blockcopolymers (BCPs) could be hydrolyzed in the solid state to poly(styrene-b-glycerolmethacrylate) (PS-b-PGM) under acidic conditions with the release of acetone. Thisconversion structurally transforms a phase-mixed BCP into a highly ordered array ofdomains 3 nm in size, the smallest ever achieved by BCP self-assembly. We willcapitalize on this morphogenesis by driving the size scale of the structures to even smalllimits, breaking Moore’s Law for areal density of elements. We will also control thedirectionality of the transformation to promote long-range lateral order and use thesestructured films as templates and scaffolds for the fabrication of hybrid, flexiblenanostructured materials for electronic, thermoelectric and magnetic devices andmetamaterials. We will also explore (PS-b-PSM) block copolymers with a brush-typearchitecture to produce adaptable photonic bandgap materials by using the sameexternally triggered hydrolysis of the solketal moiety, where the configuration of thepolymer chains comprising the blocks will induce a change in the period of the BCPmicrodomains and, therefore, a change in the photonic properties. We will investigatethe ordering on two extremes, with an unprecedented range in size control. Utilizationof a recently developed on-line roll-to-roll printer will allow us to quantitativelycharacterize the ordering by grazing incidence x-ray scattering methods and probe thepotential of transferring the fundamental scientific advances to a commercially viableprocess.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 11, 2017
- Source ID
- FA95501710446
Entities
People
- Thomas Paul Russell
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Massachusetts Amherst