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Updated: May 31, 2026

Gyroid Nickel Nanostructures from Diblock Copolymer Supramolecules
Published on: April 28, 2014
Double-Gyroid Network Morphology in Tapered Diblock Copolymers.
Raghunath Roy1, Jong Keun Park, Wen-Shiue Young
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716.
Researchers created double-gyroid network morphologies in tapered block copolymers. This manipulation of composition profiles offers control over order-disorder transition temperatures while forming complex structures.
Area of Science:
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Block copolymers self-assemble into diverse morphologies.
- Tapered block copolymers offer unique compositional gradients.
- Controlling morphology and thermal properties is crucial for advanced materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize normal-tapered and inverse-tapered diblock copolymers.
- To investigate the self-assembly into double-gyroid network morphology.
- To analyze the impact of tapering on order-disorder transition temperatures (T(ODT)).
Main Methods:
- Anionic polymerization with programmed semi-batch feeding.
- Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for structural analysis.
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for morphology visualization.
- Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for thermal transitions.
Main Results:
- Double-gyroid network morphology was successfully formed in both normal-tapered [P(I-IS-S)] and inverse-tapered [P(I-SI-S)] copolymers.
- Tapered regions (30% volume) enabled self-assembly into the desired network structure.
- Order-disorder transition temperatures (T(ODT)) were significantly depressed compared to non-tapered counterparts.
- The inverse-tapered P(I-SI-S) showed a greater reduction in T(ODT).
Conclusions:
- Tapered block copolymer composition profiles can be precisely controlled.
- This control allows for manipulation of T(ODT) while maintaining complex network formation.
- The findings offer a pathway to design polymers with tailored thermal and structural properties.
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