Open AccessLamellar Microdomains of Block-Copolymer-Based Ionic Supramolecules Exhibiting a Hierarchical Self-Assembly
Author(s) -
Mehran Asad Ayoubi,
Kristoffer Almdal,
Kaizheng Zhu,
Bo Nyström,
Ulf Olsson,
Lennart Piculell
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
macromolecules
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.994
H-Index - 313
eISSN - 1520-5835
pISSN - 0024-9297
DOI - 10.1021/ma500232y
Subject(s) - counterion , lamellar structure , copolymer , alkyl , side chain , polymer chemistry , amphiphile , ionic bonding , self assembly , methacrylic acid , methacrylate , chemistry , crystallography , styrene , poly(methacrylic acid) , polyelectrolyte , materials science , ion , organic chemistry , polymer
Based on a parent diblock copolymer of poly(styrene)-b-poly(methacrylic acid), PS-b-PMAA, linear-b-amphiphilic comb (L-b-AC) ionic supramolecules [Soft Matter 2013, 9, 1540-1555] are synthesized in which the poly(methacrylate) backbone of the ionic supramolecular AC-block is neutralized by alkyl (Cn; n = 8, 12, and 16) trimethylammonium counterions (i.e., side chains) at various ion (pair) fractions X [i.e., counterion/side-chain grafting density; X = number of alkyl counterions (i.e., side chains) per acidic group of the parent PMAA block] these L-b-AC ionic supramolecules exhibit a spherical-in-lamellar hierarchical self-assembly. For these systems, (1) the effective Flory-Huggins interaction parameter between L- and AC-blocks chi'(Cn/x) was extracted, and (2) analysis of the lamellar microdomains showed that when there is an increase in X, alkyl counterion (i.e., side chain) length l(sc), or both, there is an increase in both the average interfacial area per block junction Sigma and the thickness of the microlayer of the AC-block d(Ac)