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Defect-free nanoporous thin films from ABC triblock copolymers.
Joona Bang1, Seung Hyun Kim, Eric Drockenmuller
1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|June 8, 2006
Summary
Triblock copolymers self-assemble into ordered nanoporous arrays. Using a photodegradable mid-block (PMMA) creates highly regular, defect-free thin films for advanced lithography.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Triblock copolymers offer unique self-assembly properties.
- Nanoporous materials are crucial for advanced applications like lithography.
- Previous systems like diblock copolymers have limitations in order and degradability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize poly(ethylene oxide-b-methyl methacrylate-b-styrene) (PEO-b-PMMA-b-PS) triblock copolymers.
- To investigate the self-assembly of these copolymers into ordered nanoporous structures.
- To demonstrate the utility of a photodegradable mid-block for creating highly ordered thin films.
Main Methods:
- Controlled living radical polymerization for ABC triblock copolymer synthesis.
- Solvent annealing for thin film formation and microdomain ordering.
- Characterization of nanoporous arrays and cylindrical microdomains.
Main Results:
- Self-assembly yielded highly ordered, nanoporous arrays with 10-15 nm cylindrical pores.
- Defect-free cylindrical microdomains were achieved in thin films.
- The photodegradable PMMA mid-block enabled unprecedented lateral order in the porous structures.
Conclusions:
- ABC triblock copolymers provide a route to highly ordered nanoporous materials.
- Photodegradable mid-blocks are key to achieving high lateral order and defect-free structures.
- This approach combines advantages of different diblock systems for improved nanoporous material fabrication.