Issue 5, 2013

Self-assembly of diblock copolymers under confinement

Abstract

Block copolymers are a class of soft matter that self-assemble to form ordered morphologies at nanometer scales, making them ideal materials for various applications. The self-assembly of block copolymers is mainly controlled by the monomer–monomer interactions, block compositions and molecular architectures. Besides these intrinsic parameters, placing block copolymers under confinement introduces a number of extrinsic factors, including the degree of structural frustration and surface–polymer interactions, which can strongly influence the self-assembled morphologies. Therefore confinement of block copolymers provides a powerful route to manipulate their self-assembled nanostructures. In this review, we discuss the relationship between confining conditions and the resulting structures, focusing on principles governing structural formation of diblock copolymers under two-dimensional and three-dimensional confinement. In particular, the effects of commensurability condition, surface–polymer interactions, and confining geometries on the self-assembled morphologies are discussed.

Graphical abstract: Self-assembly of diblock copolymers under confinement

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
03 Sep 2012
Accepted
23 Oct 2012
First published
19 Nov 2012

Soft Matter, 2013,9, 1398-1413

Self-assembly of diblock copolymers under confinement

A. Shi and B. Li, Soft Matter, 2013, 9, 1398 DOI: 10.1039/C2SM27031E

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