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Influence of Electric Field on the Phase Transitions of the Hexagonal Cylinder Phase of Diblock Copolymers
Author(s) -
Li Xin,
Jiang Ying,
Li Yinchang,
Liang Haojun
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.200500725
Subject(s) - copolymer , electric field , materials science , phase (matter) , hexagonal crystal system , hexagonal phase , phase transition , condensed matter physics , chemical physics , field (mathematics) , nanotechnology , crystallography , chemistry , physics , polymer , organic chemistry , composite material , pure mathematics , mathematics , quantum mechanics
We have used the cell dynamic simulations (CDS) method to study the evolution of asymmetric and symmetric diblock copolymers under electric fields. For symmetric diblock copolymers, long‐range‐ordered lamellar phases form readily under electric fields. For asymmetric diblock copolymers, sphere‐to‐cylinder phase transitions occur rapidly when strong electric fields are applied, but it takes longer for the system to form hexagonal cylinder structures. The results of these simulations suggest that the sphere phase is stable under weak electric fields, but a threshold electric intensity exists for the sphere‐to‐cylinder phase transition. In addition, we also studied the kinetic pathways of the transition of the lamellar phase to the hexagonal cylinder phase of the asymmetric diblock copolymers under electric fields. Hexagonal cylinder structures form when the lamellar phase is subjected to a sudden temperature jump. The scattering functions suggest that the hexagonal cylinder structures are very regular and possess very few flaws.