Directed assembly of supramolecular copolymers in thin films: thermodynamic and kinetic advantages.
Using computer simulation of a coarse-grained model for supramolecular polymers, we investigate the potential of quasiblock copolymers (QBCPs) assembled on chemically patterned substrates for creating device-oriented nanostructures. QBCPs are comprised of AB diblock copolymers and supramolecular B segments that can reversibly bond to any available B terminus, on either the copolymers or the B oligomers, creating a polydisperse blend of B homopolymers, and AB and ABA copolymers. We demonstrate the defect-free replication of patterns with perpendicularly crossing, A-preferential lines, where the same QBCP can simultaneously replicate patterns differing by up to 50% in their length scales. We demonstrate how the pattern affects the distribution of molecular architectures and the key role of supramolecular associations for replicating patterns with different length scales.
Daoulas
Kostas Ch
KCh
Institut für Theoretische Physik, Georg-August-Universität, 37077 Göttingen, Germany. daoulas@theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de
Cavallo
Anna
A
Shenhar
Roy
R
Müller
Marcus
M