Transmission electron microtomography of multicomponent block copolymer systems

POLY 629

Richard J. Spontak, Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, Juan T. Weaver, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, Arif O. Gozen, aogozen@unity.ncsu.edu, Department of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, Volker Abetz, volker.abetz@gkss.de, Institute of Polymer Research, GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht GmbH, Max-Planck-Str. 1, Geesthacht, 21502, Germany, Steven D. Smith, Miami Valley Innovation Center, Procter & Gamble Company, 11810 E. Miami RIver Road, Ross, OH 45061, Jan Genzer, Jan_Genzer@ncsu.edu, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, 911 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27695-7905, and David A. Agard, agard@msg.ucsf.edu, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th St, MC2240, San Francisco, CA 94158-2517.
Transmission electron microtomography (TEMT) is a rapidly growing analytical technique that holds tremendous promise for providing valuable insight into polymeric nanostructures, especially those that are geometrically complex or that evolve with time or environmental conditions. The approach adopted here is based on single-tilt tomography in conjunction with filtered back projection. In this work, we report on several different multicomponent block copolymer morphologies that have been recently investigated by TEMT. Using cryogenic imaging conditions, one study addresses the dispersed morphologies of block copolymers in the presence of solvent. Another series explores blends of ABC triblock copolymers, while a third seeks to elucidate the behavior of block copolymer molecules in the presence of other network-forming additives. Lastly, we demonstrate how TEMT can be used to discern the mechanism by which block copolymer self-assembly proceeds in a highly nonequilibrium, dynamically evolving thin-film environment.
 

Imaging Techniques for the Characterization of Polymers and Polymer-Derived Materials
8:00 AM-12:35 PM, Thursday, August 23, 2007 Westin Boston Waterfront -- Otis, Oral

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007