Responsive solids from cross-linked block copolymers.
Novel responsive solids were prepared by randomly cross-linking the polyisoprene chains of a disordered polystyrene-polyisoprene block copolymer. Our experiments show that block copolymer chains, composed of hundreds of repeat units, can undergo reversible order-disorder transitions despite the quenched randomness that arises due to the attachment of one of the blocks to a cross-linked network. The structure, properties, and phase behavior of these materials are determined by a delicate interplay between the density of cross-links and the nature of the ordered state.
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Hyeok
H
Hahn
Hany B
HB
Eitouni
Nitash P
NP
Balsara
John A
JA
Pople