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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Synthesis of Cyclic Polymers and Characterization of Their Diffusive Motion in the Melt State at the Single Molecule Level

Published on: September 26, 2016

Two-dimensional melting transition observed in a block copolymer.

D E Angelescu¹, C K Harrison, M L Trawick

¹Department of Physics, PRISM-Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|August 11, 2005

Summary

This study observed two-dimensional melting in a diblock copolymer film. Evidence suggests a first-order melting transition, with underlying second-order characteristics in the liquid phase.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Physics
Soft Matter Physics

Background:

Two-dimensional (2D) melting is a fundamental phase transition in condensed matter physics.
Understanding melting in 2D systems is crucial for various applications, including thin films and nanotechnology.
Diblock copolymers offer a unique platform to study 2D phase behavior due to their self-assembly properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To observe and characterize the two-dimensional melting transition in a monolayer film of sphere-forming diblock copolymers.
To investigate the temperature dependence of critical parameters during the phase transition.
To determine the order of the melting transition and explore underlying critical phenomena.

Main Methods:

Annealing a monolayer diblock copolymer film within a controlled temperature gradient.
Observing the transition from a hexatic phase to a liquid phase in a single experiment.
Measuring orientational and translational correlation lengths and topological defect density.

Main Results:

A complete record of the two-dimensional melting transition was obtained.
The melting transition was identified as first-order.
Correlations in the liquid phase suggest a preempted underlying second-order transition.

Conclusions:

The study provides direct evidence of two-dimensional melting in a diblock copolymer system.
The observed transition is primarily first-order, but with indications of a hidden second-order critical point.
This work contributes to the fundamental understanding of phase transitions in low-dimensional soft matter systems.