Modelling Micelle Formation in Confined Geometries

Abstract

We use numerical self consistent field calculations to determine the effect confinement has on the critical micelle concentration for diblock copolymers. Our studies show that increasing the confinement increases the free energy of micelle formation. As the confinement increases, the micelle undergoes a decrease in its size, until finally the entropic losses associated with packing the copolymer into a smaller micelle become too large and the micelle structure becomes unstable. Our results have important implications when diblock copolymers are used as compatibilizers in thin films, as our studies indicate that micelle formation will be suppressed in thin films.