Abstract
The self-assembly behavior of (AB)f star copolymers under a cylindrical confinement has been investigated using self-consistent field theory. Aiming to study the influence of the pore diameter on the order-order transitions as volume fraction varies, the phase diagram with respect to the volume fraction and the pore size is constructed. An interesting transition sequence of ordered nanostructures, H2A→P2A→L2A→ P3CB→H3CB, is predicted, which is corresponding to the phase transition of C→ G→L→G→C in bulk. Notably, this transition sequence is universal for both linear (AB diblock and BAB triblock) and star-like (AB)f block copolymer. In particular, we explore the formation mechanism of helical nanostructures as the volume fraction increases, where the P phase plays an important role in forming helical structures as an intermediate nanostructure. Finally, we construct the two-dimensional phase diagram, including pore size and volume fraction, of (AB)f star-like block under confinement at different number of arms, where P nanostructures was found to surrounded by other nanophases suggesting the importance of P nanostructure in the transition sequence.
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