Preparation and morphology control of amphiphilic block copolymer thin films using mixed solvent vapors

Abstract A well-defined amphiphilic diblock copolymer, poly[ N , N -(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate]-block-polystyrene (PDMAEMA- b -PS), was synthesized using activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization. The formation and transition of morphologies in PDMAEMA- b -PS thin films annealed under the vapors of water, tetrahydrofuran, and their binary mixed solvents were first investigated by using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. By changing the composition of the annealing solvent, morphological evolution with increasing vapor preferential affinity was observed. A vertical nanocylinder structure forms in the PDMAEMA- b -PS thin film when it is annealed under a mixed solvent vapor with Δ χ ∼ −0.975 having a strong preferential affinity for the minority PDMAEMA block at ambient temperature. The self-assembly of PDMAEMA- b -PS thin films provides a new convenient way to fabricate stimuli-responsive substrates with potential applications in adhesion control, wetting, and binding or release of functional molecules at surfaces.