AI Article Synopsis
- A unique nine-arm star polymer (PS-PMOS-PI) was synthesized, and its thin film structures were examined using advanced in situ grazing incidence X-ray scattering (GIXS).
- The analysis revealed that the thin films exhibit complex, highly ordered hexagonal (HEX) structures composed of polystyrene cylinders and PMOS triangular prisms within a polyisoprene matrix.
- Notably, these HEX structures undergo a transformation at temperatures above 190 °C, resulting in a 30° rotated isomer that retains a significant volume fraction during cooling, highlighting interesting self-assembly mechanisms related to phase separation and confinement effects.
Article Abstract
An asymmetric nine-arm star polymer, (polystyrene)-(poly(4-methoxystyrene))-(polyisoprene) (PS-PMOS-PI) was synthesized, and the details of the structures of its thin films were successfully investigated for the first time by using in situ grazing incidence X-ray scattering (GIXS) with a synchrotron radiation source. Our quantitative GIXS analysis showed that thin films of the star polymer molecules have very complex but highly ordered and preferentially in-plane oriented hexagonal (HEX) structures consisting of truncated PS cylinders and PMOS triangular prisms in a PI matrix. This HEX structure undergoes a partial rotational transformation process at temperatures above 190 °C that produces a 30°-rotated HEX structure; this structural isomer forms with a volume fraction of 23% during heating up to 220 °C and persists during subsequent cooling. These interesting and complex self-assembled nanostructures are discussed in terms of phase separation, arm number, volume ratio, and confinement effects.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/mz400363k | DOI Listing |
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