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Related Concept Videos

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers01:24

Characteristics and Nomenclature of Copolymers

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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...
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Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:03

Step-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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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...
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Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism00:57

Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

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The cationic polymerization mechanism consists of three steps: initiation, propagation, and termination. In the initiation step of the polymerization process, the π bond of a monomer gets protonated by the Lewis acid catalyst, which is formed from boron trifluoride and water. The protonation of the π bond generates a carbocation stabilized by the electron‐donating group. In the propagation step, the π bond of the second monomer acts as a nucleophile and attacks the...
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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview01:20

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Overview

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The polymerization process that involves carbanion as an intermediate is called anionic polymerization. It is also a type of addition or chain-growth polymerization. Anionic polymerization gets initiated by a strong nucleophile such as an organolithium or a Grignard reagent. The most commonly used initiator for anionic polymerization is butyl lithium. Monomers involved in anionic polymerization must possess a vinyl group bonded to one or two electron-withdrawing groups. For instance,...
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Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching01:17

Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching

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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...
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Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism01:04

Anionic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism

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The mechanism for anionic chain-growth polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination steps. In the initiation step, a nucleophilic anion, such as butyl lithium, initiates the polymerization process by attacking the π bond of the vinylic monomer. As a result, a carbanion, stabilized by the electron‐withdrawing group, is generated. The resulting carbanion acts as a Michael donor in the propagation step and attacks the second vinylic monomer, which acts as a Michael...
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Pathway-engineering for highly-aligned block copolymer arrays.

Youngwoo Choo1, Paweł W Majewski, Masafumi Fukuto

  • 1Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA. chinedum.osuji@yale.edu.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study harnesses kinetic effects in block copolymer self-assembly to engineer nanoscale structures. Researchers used photothermal shearing and annealing to create aligned hexagonal cylinder arrays for advanced materials.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Polymer Science
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Self-assembly in block copolymers is driven by energy minimization towards equilibrium.
  • Kinetic effects like metastable states and pathway dependence are often seen as challenges.
  • Controlling these kinetic pathways is crucial for directed nanostructure formation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To exploit kinetic effects for engineering desired nanostructures in block copolymer thin films.
  • To achieve macroscopic alignment of block copolymer morphologies.
  • To demonstrate the transfer of engineered nanostructures into inorganic replicas.

Main Methods:

  • Combination of photothermal shearing and high-temperature annealing.
  • Utilizing specific ordering pathways through the self-assembly energy landscape.
  • Sequential processing to control morphology orientation.

Main Results:

  • Achieved hexagonal arrays of block copolymer cylinders with macroscopic alignment.
  • Successfully generated a highly-aligned horizontal cylinder state using photothermal shearing.
  • Reoriented morphology to a vertical cylinder state via templated thermal processing.
  • Demonstrated successful transfer of engineered morphologies into inorganic replicas.

Conclusions:

  • Kinetic effects can be strategically employed to engineer complex nanostructures.
  • Photothermal shearing combined with annealing offers a pathway to directed self-assembly.
  • Engineered block copolymer morphologies can be replicated in inorganic materials for advanced applications.