Kinetic Monitoring of Block Copolymer Self-Assembly Using In Situ Spectroscopic Ellipsometry
| Autor: | Boris Rasin, Guillermo Contreas, Shawn Maguire, Shivajee Govind, Connor Bilchak, Russell J. Composto, Zahra Fakhraai |
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| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
In situ
Materials science Polymers and Plastics Organic Chemistry 02 engineering and technology 010402 general chemistry 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology Kinetic energy 01 natural sciences 0104 chemical sciences Domain formation Inorganic Chemistry Chemical engineering Materials Chemistry Copolymer Spectroscopic ellipsometry Acquisition time Self-assembly 0210 nano-technology |
| Zdroj: | ACS macro letters. 9(8) |
| ISSN: | 2161-1653 |
| Popis: | Understanding the kinetic pathways of self-assembly in block copolymers (BCPs) has been a long-standing challenge, mostly due to limitations of in situ monitoring techniques. Here, we demonstrate an approach that uses optical birefringence, determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), as a measure of domain formation in cylinder- and lamellae-forming BCP films. The rapid experimental acquisition time in SE (ca. 1 sec) enables monitoring of the assembly/disassembly kinetics of BCP films during solvent-vapor annealing (SVA). We demonstrate that upon SVA, BCP films form ordered domains that are stable in the swollen state, but disorder upon rapid drying. Surprisingly, the disassembly during drying strongly depends on the duration of solvent exposure in the swollen state, explaining previous observations of loss of order in SVA processes. SE thus allows for decoupling of BCP self-assembly and disordering that occurs during solvent annealing and solvent evaporation, which is difficult to probe using other, slower techniques. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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