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Related Concept Videos

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

Copolymers are the products obtained from the polymerization of multiple monomer species. So, in a polymer chain itself, there can be multiple repeating units that come from different monomers. The process of synthesizing a polymer from different monomer species is called copolymerization. When two monomers are involved, the polymer is known as a bipolymer. Polymers with three and four monomers are termed terpolymers and quaterpolymers, respectively. Figure 1 depicts the copolymerization of...
Characteristics and Nomenclature of Homopolymers01:00

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Homopolymers

Polymers that are made up of identical monomer units are called homopolymers. Only one repeating unit is involved in the construction of the homopolymer structure. For example, as depicted in Figure 1, polypropylene is a homopolymer constituted of propylene monomers. Here, the only repeating unit in the polymer chain is propylene.
Polymer Classification: Architecture01:14

Polymer Classification: Architecture

Polymers are classified as linear or branched on the basis of their chain architecture. The polymer chains in linear polymers have a long chain-like structure with minimal to no branching at all. Even if a polymer features large substituent groups on the monomer, which appear as branches to the skeleton, it is not considered a branched polymer. A branched polymer contains secondary polymer chains that arise from the main polymer chain. The branching occurs when the polymer growth shifts from...
Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

Step-growth or condensation polymerization is a stepwise reaction of bi or multifunctional monomers to form long-chain polymers. As all the monomers are reactive, most of the monomers are consumed at the early stages of the reaction to form small chains of reactive oligomers, which then combine to form long polymer chains in the late stages. Hence, the reaction has to proceed for a long time to achieve high molecular weight polymers.
Many natural and synthetic polymers are produced by...
Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching01:17

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

The skeletal structure of polymers synthesized via radical polymerization is always branched. For example, the polymerization of ethylene by radical polymerization results in a low-density grade of polyethylene with a heavily branched skeletal structure. Here, the radical site abstracts hydrogen from the growing chain, and the radical site shifts from the end (a primary carbon center) to anywhere within the growing chain (a secondary carbon center). Consequently, the part of the chain from the...
Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers01:08

Molecular Weight of Step-Growth Polymers

Step growth polymerization involves bi or multifunctional monomers. Bifunctional monomers react to form linear step growth polymers, whereas multifunctional monomers react to form non-linear or branched 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...

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Synthesis of Monodisperse Cylindrical Nanoparticles via Crystallization-driven Self-assembly of Biodegradable Block Copolymers
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Highly ordered square arrays from a templated ABC triblock terpolymer.

Jeong Gon Son1, Jessica Gwyther, Jae-Byum Chang

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.

Nano Letters
|June 18, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Researchers created highly ordered 44 nm period square patterns using a novel triblock terpolymer blend. This advancement in self-assembly offers a new route for nanolithography applications.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Nanolithography

Background:

  • Diblock copolymers typically do not yield square-symmetry patterns easily.
  • Achieving ordered nanostructures is crucial for advanced lithography.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate the formation of highly ordered square patterns using a specific triblock terpolymer.
  • To explore methods for controlling the self-assembly of these patterns for nanolithography.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a polyisoprene-block-polystyrene-block-polyferrocenylsilane (PI-b-PS-b-PFS) triblock terpolymer blended with polystyrene (PS) homopolymer.
  • Controlled thin film thickness, solvent annealing, and substrate surface chemistry/topography.
  • Employed oxygen plasma etching to reveal PFS pillars forming the square pattern.
  • Investigated templated self-assembly on substrates with nanoscale topographical features.

Main Results:

  • Achieved highly ordered 44 nm period square patterns.
  • Significantly increased average grain size to several micrometers on smooth substrates using brush layers and specific annealing conditions.
  • Demonstrated successful templated self-assembly on pre-patterned substrates with independently functionalized chemical features.

Conclusions:

  • The PI-b-PS-b-PFS terpolymer system, under optimized conditions, can produce well-defined square patterns.
  • Surface modification and templating are effective strategies for controlling pattern formation and grain size.
  • This method shows promise for scalable nanolithography applications.