Work

Self-Assembly of a Triblock Copolymer in the Presence of a Rigid Conjugated Polyelectrolyte

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: The properties of conducting polymers are strongly influenced by structural changes induced by long-range order, which can be achieved using block copolymers that self-assemble into crystalline structures. These blends result in unique mesophases distinct from the pure components, with self-assembly behavior modulated by solution conditions and polymer architectures. High-throughput small angle x-ray scattering data of aqueous Pluronic P123 (PEO20- PPO70-PEO20) and conjugated polyelectrolyte poly[3-(potassium-4-butanoate) thiophene-2,5-diyl] (PPBT) blends at various concentrations and temperatures were automatically classified into phase maps by autophasemap, an unsupervised statistical analysis algorithm. The outlined phase boundaries revealed that adding PPBT to high P123 concentrations induced a transition from cubic-ordered spherical micelles to hexagonally packed cylindrical micelles. Shear alignment via rheological small angle neutron scattering of the blends produced monolithic oriented cubic and hexagonal crystal gels. These insights into the self-assembly of conductive polymer blends will aid in the design of soft materials with tunable structural and electronic properties.

Source: Macromolecules

DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.4c02429

Authors: Karen Li, Kiran Vaddi, Soenke Seifert, Jitendra Mata, Lilo D. Pozzo