Block linear diblock

Block (Star) Arrangement. The known star polymers, like their linear counterparts, exhibit microphase separation. In general, they exhibit higher viscosities in the melt than their analogous linear materials. Their rheological behavior is reminiscent of network materials rather than linear block copolymers (58). Although they have been used as compatibiUzers in polymer blends, they are not as effective at property enhancements as linear diblocks... 

The best-known and simplest class of block copolymers are linear diblock copolymers (AB). Being composed of two immiscible blocks, A and B, they can adopt the following equilibrium microphase morphologies, basically as a function of composition spheres (S), cylinders (C or Hex), double gyroid (G or Gyr), lamellae (L or Lam), cf. Fig. 1 and the inverse structures. With the exception of the double gyroid, all morphologies are ideally characterized by a constant mean curvature of the interface between the different microdomains. 

However, the central junction of miktoarm-star copolymers exhibits more crowding compared to linear diblocks. The penalty for blocks bending at the interface will be higher (Fig. 34a,c), resulting in a shift of the phase boundaries and different spacings compared to their linear analogues of similar composition. 

Figure 4.22 Schematic drawings of various block copolymers. These long-chain molecules synthetic molecules consist of chemically distinct poiymeric "biocks" (denoted by lines of (Afferent thicknesses in the figure), chemically grafl. (Left to right ) Linear diblock copolymer molecule (AB) linear triblock (ABC) star copolymer brush copolymer. If the blocks are mutually immiscible, under suitable conditions die molecules spontaneously dump together forming an array of mesophases.

Figure 4.25. High magnification image.s obtained by transmission electron microscopy of stained thin sections of a hyperbolic mesopha.se of a linear diblock copolymer, polystyrene-polyisoprene, whose morphology follows the D-surface (single node circled in middle picture) and possibly the gyroid. Staining produces high contrast between the two block domains. Note the very different magnifications.

The same group also investigated the case of ring diblock copolymers in a common 0 solvent, a good solvent, and in selective solvents, using theoretical (renormalization group theory) and numerical simulation (Monte Carlo) methods [288]. In this way the average dimensions of each block and of the whole molecule were obtained and compared with results on linear diblock copolymers. 

We can also mention the use of bio-sourced building blocks based on cellulose or dextran. Kadla et al. described value-added materials from naturally abundant polymers for system that may serve as a platform for the design and development of biosensors [197]. A hierarchically strucmred honeycomb film from dextran-ft-PS amphiphilic linear diblock copolymers has also been described by Chen et al. leading to ordered porous bio-hybrid films. [198] Honeycomb patterned surfaces functionalized with biomolecules for specific recognition of proteins or bacteria have been also achieved either by self-assembly of amphiphilic copolymers based on galactose moieties [155] or by post-modification with peptide sequences [199]. 

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