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Self-assembly of functional nanostructures from ABC triblock copolymers

Nature Materials volume 2, pages 744–747 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

The spontaneous formation of nanostructured materials by molecular self-assembly of block copolymers is an active area of research, driven both by its inherent beauty and by a wealth of potential technological applications1,2,3,4. Thin films of block copolymers have attracted increasing interest, particularly in view of possible applications in nanotechnology5,6,7,8,9. Although much of the work has concentrated on block copolymers consisting of two components, the insertion of a third block greatly enlarges the structural diversity and allows incorporation of additional chemical functionality10,11. Here we describe a highly ordered hexagonally perforated lamella structure based on an ABC triblock copolymer thin film. By suitable choice of the three blocks a versatile structure is formed. The perforated lamella can serve as a lithographic mask, it can be chemically converted into an amphiphilic structure without losing its order, and after selective removal of one of its constituents it could be used as a responsive membrane. Intriguingly, the particular choice of the blocks ensures that the structure is formed irrespective of the chemical nature of the solid substrate. The experimental results are supported by mesoscale computer simulations.

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Figure 1: Highly ordered microstructure of a block copolymer.
Figure 2: Exploring the microstructure of block coplymer films.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support (SFB 481), and A. Knoll, G.J.A. Sevink, C. Abetz and M. Hund for help. A modified version of the MesoDyn Code for asymmetric boundary conditions was kindly provided by G. J. A. Sevink and A. V. Zvelindovsky. A.V. acknowledges financial support through the Humboldt Foundation and R.M. acknowledges financial support through the VolkswagenStiftung.

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  1. Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II and Bayreuther Zentrum für Kolloide und Grenzflächen (BZKG), Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, 95440, Germany

    Sabine Ludwigs, Alexander Böker, Andrej Voronov, Nicolaus Rehse, Robert Magerle & Georg Krausch

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  1. Sabine Ludwigs
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Correspondence to Georg Krausch.

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Ludwigs, S., Böker, A., Voronov, A. et al. Self-assembly of functional nanostructures from ABC triblock copolymers. Nature Mater 2, 744–747 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat997

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