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Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
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Emergent symmetries in block copolymer epitaxy
Yi Ding1, Karim R Gadelrab1, Katherine Mizrahi Rodriguez1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Nature Communications
|July 7, 2019
Summary
Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) reveals spontaneous symmetry breaking. Low symmetry phases emerge in high symmetry templates, demonstrating a novel soft matter behavior.
Area of Science:
- Soft Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers (BCPs) is crucial for fabricating nanoscale and mesoscale 2D geometries.
- Understanding the self-assembly behavior of BCPs in confined geometries is key to controlling material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discover spontaneous symmetry breaking and superlattice formation in BCP DSA.
- To investigate the emergence of low symmetry phases in high symmetry templates.
- To elucidate the origin and confirm the stability of these emergent phases.
Main Methods:
- Experimental observation of spontaneous symmetry breaking and superlattice formation.
- Self-consistent field theory (SCFT) simulations.
- Strong-stretching theory (SST)-based analytical modeling.
Main Results:
- Observed spontaneous symmetry breaking and superlattice formation in BCP DSA.
- Demonstrated the emergence of low symmetry phases in high symmetry templates (e.g., Archimedean tilings, quasicrystals).
- Confirmed the general applicability of this phenomenon across various template layouts with square local geometry.
Conclusions:
- BCP self-assembly exhibits emergent behavior, leading to low symmetry phases in high symmetry templates.
- This phenomenon connects 2D soft matter self-assembly to atomic-scale inorganic epitaxy.
- The findings offer new possibilities for designing and fabricating complex nanostructures.
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