Hexagonally Packed Cylindrical Structures with Multiple Satellites from Pentablock Quarterpolymers of the AB₁CB₂D...

Three kinds of hexagonally packed cylindrical (HPC) structures with 10/8 satellites have been found from a neat pentablock quarterpolymer of the AS₁IS₂P type, composed of poly(4-vinylbenzyldimethylamine) (A), polystyrene (S), polyisoprene (I), and poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P), and block polymer/homopolymer blends. AS₁IS₂P-2 (M = 276k, ϕ_A/ϕ_S1/ϕ_I/ϕ_S2/ϕ_P = 0.08/0.17/0.12/0.33/0.30) shows HPC of P with 10 single-arrayed I satellites and 6 A subsatellites in the S matrix, where the I/P ratio number is 5, while AS₁IS₂P-2 (M = 325k, ϕ_A/ϕ_S1/ϕ_I/ϕ_S2/ϕ_P = 0.07/0.31/0.14/0.18/0.30)/S(M;11k) = 90/10 blend reveals another HPC of P with 10 I satellites, giving an I/P ratio of 6, whose array of I is a single/double mixture. Moreover, AS₁IS₂P-1/S/A(M;9k) = 90/5/5 blend represents two enantiomeric HPC packings with 8 double-arrayed I satellites having an I/P ratio of 7, which can be considered to be approximants of two enantiomeric 3.3.3.3.6 Archimedean tilings. These structures were conceived to be formed by the enhanced miscibility of tail A-chains with added homopolymers, resulting in an increase of the (A + S)/I interaction leading to the split of I domains.