Ordered Nanostructures in Thin Films of Precise Ion-Containing Multiblock Copolymers.

ABSTRACT: We demonstrate that ionic functionality in a multiblock architecture produces highly ordered and sub-3 nm nanostructures in thin films, including bicontinuous double gyroids. At 40 °C, precise ion-containing multiblock copolymers of poly(ethylene-b-lithium sulfosuccinate ester) _n (PESxLi, x = 12 or 18) exhibit layered ionic assemblies parallel to the substrate. These ionic layers are separated by crystalline polyethylene blocks with the polymer backbones perpendicular to the substrate. Notably, above the melting temperature (T _m) of the polyethylene blocks, layered PES18Li thin films transform into a highly oriented double-gyroid morphology with the (211) plane (d ₂₁₁ = 2.5 nm) aligned parallel to the substrate. The

SUBMITTER: Park J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8949628 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature