Theory and simulation of the self-assembly of rod–coil block copolymer melts: recent progress

Abstract

The self-assembly of rod–coil block copolymers (BCPs), i.e., BCPs containing rigid or semi-flexible blocks (rods), has been much less studied and understood than that of flexible (coil) BCPs. Both the conformational asymmetry between rod and coil blocks and the orientational interaction between anisotropic rods can radically change their self-assembly from that of coil BCPs, leading to new physics, new morphologies, and new applications. In view of the emerging applications of rod–coil BCPs with π-conjugated blocks in organic optoelectronic devices, here we briefly review recent theoretical and simulation studies on the self-assembly of rod–coil BCP melts both in bulk and under thin-film confinement, and give some perspectives on future research needs in this area.