A polymer composed of connected blocks with different repeat-unit chemistry. Incompatible blocks can form spatially distinct domains while remaining covalently connected.
A block copolymer with blocks having different solvent affinities, permitting solvent-selective assembly into micelles and other morphologies.
A thin block copolymer film forming alternating sheet-like domains. Domain period, film thickness and the preferences of both boundaries constrain orientation and termination.
A boundary has approximately equal interfacial free energies against the two blocks. One neutral boundary does not remove selectivity at the other boundary.
The two boundaries prefer opposite blocks. In a simple parallel lamellar stack, opposite terminations favour half-integer repeat thicknesses.
The two boundaries prefer the same block. Parallel lamellae then tend to favour matching terminations and integer-period commensurability.
A block copolymer comprising two covalently joined blocks. Its domain morphology depends on block composition, segregation strength and chain conformational properties.
A domain structure can persist because chain relaxation is too slow to reach the thermodynamic equilibrium morphology. A glassy block, rapid solvent loss or strong segregation can impede defect correction. Controlled thermal or solvent annealing and time-dependent structural measurements distinguish arrested patterns from equilibrated phase stability.
The fraction of dry polymer volume assigned to one block, . Selective solvent swelling changes an effective domain-volume ratio without changing this dry chemical composition.
The product of the Flory interaction parameter and degree of polymerization, using compatible reference-segment conventions. It compares unlike-contact avoidance with chain entropy; solvent dilution need not change the chemical chain length.
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