Nanoparticle surfactants as a route to bicontinuous block copolymer morphologies

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nanoparticles can be engineered with surface chemistry to act as surfactants.
• Surfactant nanoparticles can localize at fluid interfaces, modifying interfacial properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of surfactant nanoparticles on the morphology of lamellar diblock copolymers.
• To explore the potential of nanoparticle-modified copolymers for advanced material applications.

Main Methods:

• Addition of varying volume fractions (phi(P)) of surfactant nanoparticles to lamellar diblock copolymers.
• Analysis of resulting microstructures and domain spacings using electron microscopy and scattering techniques (implied).

Main Results:

• Small volume fractions of nanoparticles initially decrease lamellar thickness due to reduced interfacial tension.
• A critical nanoparticle concentration induces a transition to bicontinuous morphologies.
• These bicontinuous structures exhibit stable, tunable domain spacings below 100 nm.

Conclusions:

• Surfactant nanoparticles offer a route to control diblock copolymer morphology.
• Nanoscopically engineered polymer films with bicontinuous structures are promising for photovoltaic, fuel cell, and battery applications.