Research Activities >
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Complex Fluids 2007
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Confined Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers
CSIC Building (#406),
Seminar Room 4122.
Directions: home.cscamm.umd.edu/directions
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Confined Self-Assembly of Block Copolymers
Professor
An-Chang Shi
McMaster University
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Abstract:
Spontaneous formation of ordered structures from
block copolymers has become a paradigm for the study
of structural self-assembly. In a physically
confined environment, structural frustration and
surface interactions can strongly influence the
molecular organization. In particular, it is
possible that confinement can lead to unusual
morphologies which are not accessible in the bulk,
thus providing opportunities to engineer novel
structures. For confined asymmetric diblock
copolymers, a rich variety of novel morphologies,
ranging from helices to toroids to complex networks,
is expected. The complexity of the possible
structures presents computational challenges in
simulations of macromolecular assemblies under
confinement. We have used a combination of simulated
annealing method and self-consistent field theory to
exam the self-assembly of block copolymers confined
in different geometries. A generic structural
evolution path is obtained for the confined systems.
The study demonstrates that confined self-assembly
of amphiphilic molecules provides a robust method to
produce nanoscopic structures which are not
accessible in the bulk phases.
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