Temperature-Controlled Solvent Vapor Annealing of Thin Block Copolymer Films.

ABSTRACT: Solvent vapor annealing is as an effective and versatile alternative to thermal annealing to equilibrate and control the assembly of polymer chains in thin films. Here, we present scientific and practical aspects of the solvent vapor annealing method, including the discussion of such factors as non-equilibrium conformational states and chain dynamics in thin films in the presence of solvent. Homopolymer and block copolymer films have been used in model studies to evaluate the robustness and the reproducibility of the solvent vapor processing, as well as to assess polymer-solvent interactions under confinement. Advantages of utilizing a well-controlled solvent vapor environment, including practically interesting regimes of weakly saturated vapor leading to poorly swollen states, are discuss

SUBMITTER: Cheng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6722758 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature