Microwave-annealing-induced nanowetting of block copolymers in cylindrical nanopores.

Block copolymers have attracted great attention because of their abilities to self-assemble into well-ordered microphase-separated structures. To generate nanopatterns of block copolymers with long-range ordering and low-defect densities in shorter time scales, microwave annealing has recently been applied. Microwave annealing, however, has so far only been used for block copolymer bulks and thin films.

Controlled self-assemblies of polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane micelles in cylindrical confinement through a micelle solution wetting method and Rayleigh-instability-driven transformation.

Block copolymer micelles have been extensively discussed for many decades because of their applications, such as lithography and drug delivery. However, controlling the morphologies of nanostructure assembly using block copolymer micelles as building elements remains a great challenge. In this work, we developed a novel route to induce micelle assembly in confined geometries.

Blending Homopolymers for Controlling the Morphology Transitions of Block Copolymer Nanorods Confined in Cylindrical Nanopores.

The microphase separation of block copolymers in confined geometries has been widely investigated over the last few decades. The controllability and versatility of the confinement-induced morphologies, however, are still difficult to be achieved because of the limited experimental parameters in the process of fabricating the confined nanostructures. In this work, we study the morphology transitions of lamellae-forming polystyrene-block-polydimethylsiloxane (PS-b-PDMS) nanorods confined in the nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates.

Morphology control of three-dimensional nanostructures in porous templates using lamella-forming block copolymers and solvent vapors.

The microphase separation behavior of block copolymers confined in cylindrical nanopores has been extensively investigated. Recently, the solvent-annealing-induced nanowetting in templates (SAINT) method has been demonstrated to be a versatile approach for the infiltration of block copolymers into the nanopores of porous templates. The function of the annealing solvents, however, is still not well understood, especially in the morphology control of the fabricated block copolymer nanostructures.

Selective Template Wetting Routes to Hierarchical Polymer Films: Polymer Nanotubes from Phase-Separated Films via Solvent Annealing.

We demonstrate a novel wetting method to prepare hierarchical polymer films with polymer nanotubes on selective regions. This strategy is based on the selective wetting abilities of polymer chains, annealed in different solvent vapors, into the nanopores of porous templates. Phase-separated films of polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), two commonly used polymers, are prepared as a model system.

Fabrication of Core-Shell Polymer Nanospheres in the Nanopores of Anodic Aluminum Oxide Templates Using Polymer Blend Solutions.

Spherical core-shell structures have been widely investigated in recent years, and they can be used for various applications, such as drug delivery, biological labeling, and batteries. Although many methods have been developed to prepare core-shell structures, it is still a great challenge to fabricate core-shell structures in the nanoscale with well-controlled morphologies and sizes. In this work, we present a simple method to fabricate core-shell polymer nanospheres consisting of polystyrene (PS) cores and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) shells.

Fabrication of multicomponent polymer nanostructures containing PMMA shells and encapsulated PS nanospheres in the nanopores of anodic aluminum oxide templates.

Multi-component polymer nanomaterials have attracted great attention because of their applications in areas such as biomedicine, tissue engineering, and organic solar cells. The precise control over the morphologies of multi-component polymer nanomaterials, however, is still a great challenge. In this work, the fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)/poly-styrene (PS) nanostructures that contain PMMA shells and encapsulated PS nanospheres is studied.

Porous polymer nanostructures fabricated by the surface-induced phase separation of polymer solutions in anodic aluminum oxide templates.

We study the formation of porous polymer nanostructures fabricated by the surface-induced phase separation of polymer solutions in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) are used to investigate the evolution process of the surface-induced phase separation. With the longer immersion time of the AAO template in the polymer solution, the size of the solvent-rich droplet is increased by the coarsening process, resulting in the formation of porous polymer nanostructures.