Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Process of Making Three-dimensional Microstructures using Vaporization of a Sacrificial Component
Published on: November 2, 2013
Creating structures in polymer blends via a dissolution and phase-separation process
1Department of Chemistry, University of Durham, UK.
Abstract:
We show how three-dimensional structures can be formed in polymer blends from pre-existing structures. "Tape" of one polymer is inserted into a matrix of an alternative polymer to form an array of parallelepipeds. We subject this regular structure to partial dissolution in the one-phase region, before quenching the system into the two-phase region. The interplay between dissolution and phase separation can result in complex hierarchic structures. In particular, arrays of microchannels of one polymer species can be formed inside the other polymer.
More Related Videos
10:53Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
11:42Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
Published on: June 20, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Polymers
Polymer Classification: Architecture
Polymer Classification: Crystallinity
Crystalline domains are the regions where polymer chains are aligned in an orderly manner and held together in proximity by intermolecular forces. For example, chains in the crystalline domains of polyethylene and nylon are bound together by van der Waals...
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers
As the step-growth polymerization involves step-wise condensation of monomers, the molecular weight also builds up eventually. Consequently, high molecular weight polymers are obtained at the late stages of the polymerization, where 99% of monomers have been consumed.
The extent of the...