Microphase Separation of Block Copolymers Tethered to Spherical or Planar Surfaces

我们将通过理论和实验的有力结合来研究薄膜中栓系嵌段共聚物刷的微相分离。理论计算将被用来预测纳米级的形态，然后将有针对性的实验研究。最初的工作将是在平面衬底上的嵌段共聚物-各种有趣的自组装纳米结构将通过原子力显微镜制备和成像。X射线散射将用于探测膜内的有序性。下一阶段将是对嵌段共聚物在球形颗粒上形成的结构进行理论预测。这将被用来激励实验使用吸附嵌段共聚物膜二氧化硅纳米粒子。复杂的新的形态是预期的。这些将用于模板的中空多孔纳米粒子的制造使用一种全新的方法，其中少数嵌段共聚物域和纳米粒子被蚀刻掉。多孔纳米粒子在分离科学、催化和纳米化学等领域有着全新的应用前景。

We will investigate the microphase separation of tethered block copolymer brushes in thin films via a powerful combination of theory and experiment. The theoretical calculations will be used to predict nanoscale morphologies which will then be targeted for experimental investigation. The initial work will be on block copolymers on planar subtrates - a variety of interesting self-assembled nanostructures will be prepared and imaged via atomic force microscopy. X-ray scattering will be used to probe the ordering within the film. The next stage will be to perform theoretical predictions of structures formed by block copolymers on spherical particles. This will be used to motivate experiments using adsorbed block copolymer films on silica nanoparticles. Intricate novel morphologies are expected. These will be used to template the fabrication of hollow porous nanoparticles using a completely new approach, whereby the minority block copolymer domain and the nanoparticle are etched away. The porous nanoparticles could open up totally new applications in separation science, catalysis or nanoscale chemistry.