Abstract
ABSTRACTAtomic Force Microscopy with Phase Detection Imaging is used to study the surface microdomain morphology of thick (i.e., ca. 2 mm) films of triblock copolymers, such as polymethylmethacrylate - block - polybutadiene - block - polymethylmethacrylate copolymers prepared by a well-taylored two-step sequential copolymerization promoted by a 1,3-diisopropenylbenzene based difunctional anionie initiator. By means of this new scanning probe microscopy technique, it is shown that the surface exhibits a segregated microphase structure, corresponding to the different types of components predicted theoretically by thermodynamic processes. We investigate the relationships between the size and characteristics of the microdomain structure as a function of the molecular parameters of the constituent polymers. Our data illustrate the interest of Phase Detection Imaging in the elucidation of surface phase separation in block copolymers.
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