Modeling the self-assembly of copolymer-nanoparticle mixtures confined between solid surfaces.
Using numerical calculations, we undertake the first morphological studies of mixtures of AB diblocks and nanoparticles that are confined between two hard walls. A complex interplay of entropic and enthalpic interactions drives the nonselective particles to localize at the hard walls and A/B interfaces, causing the mixture to spontaneously self-assemble into particle-decorated lamellae that are oriented perpendicular to the surfaces. The film reveals a periodic array of particle "nanowires" that are separated by the nanoscale polymer domains, yielding a vital material for nanodevice fabrication.
Lee
Jae Youn
JY
Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Shou
Zhenyu
Z
Balazs
Anna C
AC