Self-assembly of diblock copolymers under confinement

• DOI: 10.1039/c2sm27031e
• Publication Date: 2012-11-19T14:01:34Z
• Authors: An-Chang Shi; Baohui Li
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

Block copolymers are a class of soft matter that self-assemble to form ordered morphologies at nanometer scales, making them ideal materials for various applications. The self-assembly of block copolymers is mainly controlled by the monomer–monomer interactions, block compositions and molecular architectures. Besides these intrinsic parameters, placing block copolymers under confinement introduces a number of extrinsic factors, including the degree of structural frustration and surface–polymer interactions, which can strongly influence the self-assembled morphologies. Therefore confinement of block copolymers provides a powerful route to manipulate their self-assembled nanostructures. In this review, we discuss the relationship between confining conditions and the resulting structures, focusing on principles governing structural formation of diblock copolymers under two-dimensional and three-dimensional confinement. In particular, the effects of commensurability condition, surface–polymer interactions, and confining geometries on the self-assembled morphologies are discussed.