Verploegen Eric, Zhang Tejia, Jung Yeon Sik, Ross Caroline, Hammond Paula T
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Nano Lett. 2008 Oct;8(10):3434-40. doi: 10.1021/nl802298m. Epub 2008 Sep 3.
In this paper, we describe methods for manipulating the morphology of side-chain liquid crystalline block copolymers through variations in the liquid crystalline content. By systematically controlling the covalent attachment of side chain liquid crystals to a block copolymer (BCP) backbone, the morphology of both the liquid crystalline (LC) mesophase and the phase-segregated BCP microstructures can be precisely manipulated. Increases in LC functionalization lead to stronger preferences for the anchoring of the LC mesophase relative to the substrate and the intermaterial dividing surface. By manipulating the strength of these interactions, the arrangement and ordering of the ultrathin film block copolymer nanostructures can be controlled, yielding a range of morphologies that includes perpendicular and parallel cylinders, as well as both perpendicular and parallel lamellae. Additionally, we demonstrate the utilization of selective etching to create a nanoporous liquid crystalline polymer thin film. The unique control over the orientation and order of the self-assembled morphologies with respect to the substrate will allow for the custom design of thin films for specific nanopatterning applications without manipulation of the surface chemistry or the application of external fields.
在本文中，我们描述了通过改变液晶含量来操纵侧链液晶嵌段共聚物形态的方法。通过系统地控制侧链液晶与嵌段共聚物（BCP）主链的共价连接，可以精确地操纵液晶（LC）中间相和相分离的BCP微观结构的形态。LC功能化程度的增加导致LC中间相相对于基底和材料间分隔表面的锚定偏好增强。通过操纵这些相互作用的强度，可以控制超薄膜嵌段共聚物纳米结构的排列和有序性，产生一系列形态，包括垂直和平行的圆柱状，以及垂直和平行的层状。此外，我们展示了利用选择性蚀刻来制备纳米多孔液晶聚合物薄膜。相对于基底对自组装形态的取向和有序性进行独特控制将允许定制设计用于特定纳米图案化应用的薄膜，而无需操纵表面化学或施加外部场。
