Experiments on binary block copolymer homopolymer blends

This chapter is organized as follows. Section 6.2 is concerned with experiments on binary block copolymer/homopolymer blends, Section 6.3 deals with experiments on ternary blends containing a block copolymer and in Section 6.4 experiments on binary blends of block copolymers are reviewed. Theory for the corresponding type of blend is discussed successively in Sections 6.5 to 6.7. Finally, experiments on thin films are discussed in Section 6.8, separately from the work on bulk blends, in keeping with earlier chapters. 

2 Experiments on binary block copolymer/homopolymer blends 

Representative experimental work on blends of a block copolymer with a homopolymer is listed in Table 6.1. 

The phase behaviour of a binary blend of a block copolymer and a homo-polymer is primarily governed by the length of the homopolymer chain compared to the copolymer. Experiments by the groups of Hashimoto and Winey have led to the identification of three regimes, depending on the degree of polymerization of the homopolymer A, NAti, and that of the same component of the copolymer, NAc. 

PS-PI PS (Hashimoto er al. 1981 Hashimoto er al. 1990 Inoue er al. 1970 Koizumi er al. 1994a Tanaka er al. 1991 Tanaka and Hashimoto 1991a Winey 1992 Winey er al. 1991a,b 1992a) 

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