PofoliaShared via Pofolia

ACS Macro Letters· 2026Q1

Trapped Topologies in Semiflexible Diblock Copolymer Melts

Luyang Li, Frank S. Bates, Kevin D. Dorfman

Short summary

Semiflexible diblock copolymers can trap a disordered network morphology, preventing transition to lamellae, according to dissipative particle dynamics simulations.

AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.

Key points

  • Semiflexible diblock copolymers can exhibit a trapped disordered network morphology.
  • This trapping occurs when the persistence length matches the block contour length.
  • The trapped phase prevents the usual transition to lamellae upon cooling.
  • Equilibrium lamellar phase is recovered only after subsequent thermal cycling.

AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.

Abstract

Abstract Diblock copolymer melts with roughly symmetric composition produce a fluctuating, network-like morphology in the disordered state that converts to lamellae upon cooling through the order–disorder transition. Using dissipative particle dynamics simulations, we document the long-time trapping of a single bicontinuous, disordered network phase for a semiflexible diblock copolymer with a persistence length commensurate with the block contour length. The equilibrium lamellar phase is recovered upon subsequent thermal cycling near the equilibrium order–disorder condition. These insights suggest that a disordered network phase could be realized via the controlled cooling of a bottlebrush diblock copolymer melt possessing a modest backbone degree of polymerization.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. ACS Macro Letters, 2026 · DOI ↗

TakeawaysPremium
Ask the paperFree account

Continue with a free account

Ask the paper: 3 free questions a day about this paper; save it, get its citation, new summaries every day for your field. Takeaways are Premium.

Continue free on the web

Sign in with Google or Apple; no card needed. You come back to this paper.

On your phone:

Field: Materials Chemistry

Materials ChemistryMaterials Science