Medial packing and elastic asymmetry stabilize the double-gyroid in block copolymers.

ABSTRACT: Triply-periodic networks are among the most complex and functionally valuable self-assembled morphologies, yet they form in nearly every class of biological and synthetic soft matter building blocks. In contrast to simpler assembly motifs - spheres, cylinders, layers - networks require molecules to occupy variable local environments, confounding attempts to understand their formation. Here, we examine the double-gyroid network phase by using a geometric formulation of the strong stretching theory of block copolymer melts, a prototypical soft self-assembly system. The theory establishes the direct link between molecular packing, assembly thermodynamics and the medial map, a generic measure of the geometric center of complex shapes. We show that "medial packing" is essential for stability of

SUBMITTER: Reddy A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9098509 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature