Complex morphologies of symmetric diblock copolymers under nanoconfinement

PMSE 373

Dong Meng, mengd@colostate.edu and Qiang Wang, q.wang@colostate.edu. Department of Chemical and Biological Enigneering, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521
We have performed parallel self-consistent field (SCF) calculations in continuum to study the self-assembled morphology of symmetric diblock copolymers confined between two parallel and homogeneous surfaces. The SCF equations are solved with high accuracy in real space, without a priori knowledge of the possible morphologies. Effects of surface preference and film thickness are investigated in detail. In addition to simple morphologies (i.e., surface parallel and perpendicular lamellae), complex two- and three-dimensional morphologies are found in both cases and their stable regions are determined. Our SCF calculations also reveal the formation mechanism of these complex morphologies.