Macromolecules, Vol.30, No.24, 7435-7443, 1997
Microphase Separation in Ternary ABC Block-Copolymers - Ordering Control in Molten Diblock Ab Copolymers by Attaching a Short Strongly Interacting C-Block
Some specific features of the microphase separation in molten ternary ABC triblock copolymers (in particular, modifications of the molten AB diblock copolymers by attaching a short third block C strongly incompatible with both A and B blocks) are studied rigorously within the framework of the weak segragation approach. It is shown that via such a modification one can control both the stability as to the microphase separation transition (i.e., the corresponding spinodal temparatures) and the smoothness of such a transition. Two modes of such modifications for every composition are studied in detail : (i) those resulting in the minimal spinodal temperatures and (ii) those that result in the smooth order-disorder transition at this composition. The corresponding dependencies of the transition temperature and the periodicity of the occurring supercrystal structures are built and analyzed.
Keywords:2-COMPONENT HETEROPOLYMERS MELTS;TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS;CHEMICAL-STRUCTURE;DOMAIN-STRUCTURE;MULTICOMPONENT POLYMER;STATIC SCATTERING;GRAFT-COPOLYMERS;PHASE-DIAGRAMS;MORPHOLOGIES;SYSTEMS