Self-assembly of rod-coil block copolymers on a substrate into micrometer-scale ordered stripe nanopatterns

Abstract

The ability to control the ordering of self-assembled nanostructures is important for block copolymer (BCP) nanotechnology but remains a challenge. Herein, we proposed a facile and feasible approach to generate ordered surface nanostructures via the self-assembly of rod-coil BCPs on a substrate. Micrometer-scale, well-aligned, and vertically orientated stripe nanopatterns are readily constructed on the substrate in a fast and controllable way. The feature sizes of the nanopatterns can be adjusted by the molecular weight of BCPs. In addition, self-assembling conditions such as BCP concentration and temperature were found to possess a significant influence on the surface morphology, as well as the order degree of the nanopatterns. Dissipative particle dynamics theoretical simulations provided complementary information for the experimental observations, including the inner chain packing and the dynamic process of the formation of ordered structures. This work presents a novel and effective strategy for the fabrication of well-aligned nanopatterns as an alternative to traditional methods.