Premium
Controlling Self‐Assembly in Gyroid Terpolymer Films By Solvent Vapor Annealing
Author(s) -
Dolan James A.,
Korzeb Karolina,
Dehmel Raphael,
Gödel Karl C.,
Stefik Morgan,
Wiesner Ulrich,
Wilkinson Timothy D.,
Baumberg Jeremy J.,
Wilts Bodo D.,
Steiner Ullrich,
Gunkel Ilja
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.201802401
Subject(s) - gyroid , copolymer , materials science , grazing incidence small angle scattering , annealing (glass) , nanotechnology , self assembly , fabrication , metamaterial , scattering , nanostructure , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , polymer , composite material , optics , optoelectronics , small angle neutron scattering , medicine , physics , neutron scattering , alternative medicine , engineering , pathology
The efficacy with which solvent vapor annealing (SVA) can control block copolymer self‐assembly has so far been demonstrated primarily for the simplest class of copolymer, the linear diblock copolymer. Adding a third distinct block—thereby creating a triblock terpolymer—not only provides convenient access to complex continuous network morphologies, particularly the gyroid phases, but also opens up a route toward the fabrication of novel nanoscale devices such as optical metamaterials. Such applications, however, require the generation of well‐ordered 3D continuous networks, which in turn requires a detailed understanding of the SVA process in terpolymer network morphologies. Here, in situ grazing‐incidence small‐angle X‐ray scattering (GISAXS) is employed to study the self‐assembly of a gyroid‐forming triblock terpolymer during SVA, revealing the effects of several key SVA parameters on the morphology, lateral order, and, in particular, its preservation in the dried film. The robustness of the terpolymer gyroid morphology is a key requirement for successful SVA, allowing the exploration of annealing parameters which may enable the generation of films with long‐range order, e.g., for optical metamaterial applications.