• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2002

The effect of block sequence on the self-assembly of ABC-type triblock copolymers in the ordered state is investigated using an isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulation. The block sequence has an important effect ,on the ]norphology of ABC triblock copolymers. Different morphologies are observed depending on the block sequence as well as the block composition. The triblock copolymers with the volume fraction of 1 : 1 : 1 ($f_A$=$f_B$=$f_C$= 0.33) show the three phase and four layered lamellar structures irrespective of the block sequence. The $A_{32}$$B_{16}$$C_{32}$triblock copolymer with $f_B$=0.2 shows a morphology In which cylinders of midblock B are formed at the interface between A and C lamellae, whereas the morphology of triblock copolymer $B_{16}$$C_{32}$ $A_{32}$ and $C_{32}$ $A_{32}$ $B_{16}$ show a cylindrical core-shell structure and a lamellar type morphology, respectively. The $A_{20}$$B_{40}$$C_{20}$the triblock copolymer with the block B as a major component shows a tricontinuous structure, whereas both $B_{40}$$C_{20}$$A_{20}$ and $C_{20}$$A_{20}$$B_{40}$ triblock coolymers exhibit the lamellar structures. When the block B has larger volrome fraction with $f_B$=0.75, the matrix is composed of block B, and other two blocks A and C form spherical domains.

• Fibers and Polymers
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.15-19
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• 2003

The self-assembly of asymmetric ABC triblock copolymers in the ordered structure is investigated using an isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulation. Unlike symmetric A BC triblock copolymers, more fascinating mophologies are observed in asymmetric ones because of a larger difference of incompatibility between the components. Various modes of self-assembly in assymmetric ABC triblock copolymers are also observed depending on the block composition. When the composition of block A Is changed from 0.125: to 0.25 at the same $f_B$ : 0.25, the morphological transition from the “cylinder in cylinder” to “cylinders at cylinder” structure is observed in the simulation. In the case of ABC triblocks with $f_B$=0.5, a lamellar-type structure is changed to a cylinder-type structure with increasing the length of block A. When the midblock length increases further to $f_B$=0.625, the “spheres on cylinder” structure is observed in both the $A_{10}$$B_{50}$$C_{20}$ and $A_{20}$$B_{50}$$C_{10}$ triblocks. From these results, the phase diagram of ABC triblock copolymers can be constructed.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.325-331
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• 2009

The synthesis and the characterization of crosslinked ABC triblock copolymer, i.e. polystyrene-b-poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-b-poly(styrene sulfonic acid), (PS-b-PHEMA-b-PSSA) is reported. PS-b-PHEMA-b-PSSA triblock copolymer at 20:10:70 wt% was sequentially synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The middle block was crosslinked by sulfosuccinic acid (SA) via the esterification reaction between -OH of PHEMA and -COOH of SA, as demonstrated by FTIR spectroscopy. As increasing amounts of SA, ion exchange capacity (IEC) continuously increased from 2.13 to 2.82 meq/g but water uptake decreased from 181.8 to 82.7%, resulting from the competitive effect between crosslinked structure and the increasing concentration of sulfonic acid group. A maximum proton conductivity of crosslinked triblock copolymer membrane at room temperature reached up to 0.198 S/cm at 3.8 w% of SA, which was more than two-fold higher than that of Nafion 117(0.08 S/cm). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis clearly showed that the PS-b-PHEMA-b-PSSA triblock copolymer is microphase-separated with a nanometer range and well developed to provide the connectivity of ionic PSSA domains. The membranes exhibited the good thermal properties up to $250^{\circ}C$ presumably resulting from the microphase-separated and crosslinked structure of the membranes, as revealed by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.458-462
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• 2009

We have synthesized ABC linear triblock copolymers, i.e., polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-polylactide, via sequential anionic and ring-opening polymerizations. In the first anionic polymerization step, styrene was polymerized in cyclohexane using sec-butyllithium as the initiator. Poly (styryl) lithium was hydroxylated by the addition of ethylene oxide, and the subsequent protonation with methanolic HCl. In the second anionic polymerization step, potassium naphthalenide was used to deprotonate the hydroxyl group of the PS to generate the macroinitiator of PS-$O^-K^+$. Polymerization of ethylene oxide was performed in THF and terminated with methanolic HCl. In the ring-opening polymerization step, the PS-b-PEO-$AlEt_2$ macroinitiator was prepared from an $AlEt_3$/pyridine system in THF, and the polymerization of lactide was performed at $90^{\circ}C$. The resulting block copolymers showed well-defined molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions as revealed by $^1H$- NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).