Directed assembly of supramolecular copolymers in thin films: thermodynamic and kinetic advantages

Using computer simulation of a coarse-grained model for supramolecular polymers, we investigate the potential of quasiblock copolymers (QBCPs) assembled on chemically patterned substrates for creating device-oriented nanostructures. QBCPs are comprised of AB diblock copolymers and supramolecular B segments that can reversibly bond to any available B terminus, on either the copolymers or the B oligomers, creating a polydisperse blend of B homopolymers, and AB and ABA copolymers. We demonstrate the defect-free replication of patterns with perpendicularly crossing, A-preferential lines, where the same QBCP can simultaneously replicate patterns differing by up to 50% in their length scales. We demonstrate how the pattern affects the distribution of molecular architectures and the key role of supramolecular associations for replicating patterns with different length scales.