Retardation of the dewetting process due to the addition of functional copolymers at polymer-polymer interfaces

We studied the retardation of the dewetting process due to the addition of a functional copolymer in a polymer bilayer film. The model system consists of fully deuterated polystyrene (PS-d) on top of an amorphous polyamide (PA) sublayer on silicon substrates. Bilayer films were prepared with different content (0, 5, 10 and 30 vol. %) of a statistical copolymer (protonated styrene maleic anhydride acid (SMA2) containing 2% MA groups along the chain) being capable of forming hydrogen bonds with PA. The as-prepared as well as the annealed samples were investigated by neutron-reflectivity (NR) experiments, scanning force microscopy and optical microscopy. A significant retardation of dewetting is observed with the addition of SMA2. From model fits of NR curves the scattering length density profiles perpendicular to the sample surface were determined and an enrichment layer of SMA2 is detected. Retardation is explained by the intermixing of SMA2 and PS-d at the interface.