Effect of Systematic Hydrogenation on the Phase Behavior and Nanostructural Dimensions of Block Copolymers.

Unsaturated polydienes are frequently hydrogenated to yield polyolefins that are more chemically stable. Here, the effects of partial hydrogenation on the phase behavior and nanostructure of polyisoprene-containing block copolymers are investigated. To ensure access to the order-disorder transition temperature (T) over a wide temperature range, we examine copolymers with at least one random block.

Bicomponent Block Copolymers Derived from One or More Random Copolymers as an Alternative Route to Controllable Phase Behavior.

Block copolymers have been extensively studied due to their ability to spontaneously self-organize into a wide variety of morphologies that are valuable in energy-, medical-, and conservation-related (nano)technologies. While the phase behavior of bicomponent diblock and triblock copolymers is conventionally governed by temperature and individual block masses, it is demonstrated here that their phase behavior can alternatively be controlled through the use of blocks with random monomer sequencing. Block random copolymers (BRCs), i.