Hosoi A E, Kogan Dmitriy, Devereaux C E, Bernoff Andrew J, Baker S M
Hatsopoulos Microfluids Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2005 Jul 15;95(3):037801. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.037801. Epub 2005 Jul 12.
Diblock copolymers confined to a two-dimensional surface may produce uniform features of macromolecular dimensions (approximately 10-100 nm). We present a mathematical model for nanoscale pattern formation in such polymers that captures the dynamic evolution of a solution of poly(styrene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide), PS-b-PEO, in solvent at an air-water interface. The model has no fitting parameters and incorporates the effects of surface tension gradients, entanglement or vitrification, and diffusion. The resultant morphologies are quantitatively compared with experimental data.
