Helical Microdomains with Homochirality Trapped in a Gyroid Network from Symmetric AB1CB2D Pentablock Quaterpolymer Melt Studied by Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract

AbstractPhase behavior of symmetric ABCBD pentablock quaterpolymers, where B and B are the same polymer component, having the conditions of and , where denotes the volume fraction of component , is investigated by Monte‐Carlo simulation. At the larger region, , tetragonally packed A, C, and D cylinders in B matrix and hierarchically complex lamellar structures are observed depending on . At the smaller region, , a new phase is observed in between the cylindrical and lamellar phases, in which the C‐domain forms a three‐dimensionally periodic network wrapped with the level surface of the Schoen's Gyroid surface, while the A and D phases stay as the alternating helical domains with the same helical sense, i.e., having homochirality and A and D domains mutually reveal tetragonal symmetry. Thus, while the symmetric ABC terpolymers form a pair of gyroid networks, but the present quaterpolymers represent a single gyroid C‐network, where the A and D helices are nicely fitted to {100} homochiral holes of the gyroid template.