We present a mean field model for a mixture of AB diblock-copolymers and A-block selective nanoparticles confined between two identical non-selective walls. A horizontally symmetric lamellar structure of the nanocomposite is considered where nanoparticles are allowed to segregate between the polymer–wall interfaces. For a fixed value of wall separation, we study changes in the free energy as a function of the number of lamellar layers and the amount of nanoparticle uptake in the A-phase denoted by y = ϕx with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 for a given value of ϕ, where ϕ is the overall nanoparticle volume fraction. The absorption isotherm for nanoparticle uptake in the A-phase as a function of ϕ shows saturation beyond a threshold value ϕs, and the optimal value of uptake y increases with increasing strength of monomer–nanoparticle attractive interaction. Increasing ϕ above ϕs produces a decrease in the optimal number of lamellar layers which is related to a jump-like transition of the chain extension. The effect of varying film thickness is also studied. By considering A-block selective walls we also investigated a wetting transition of the copolymer film and found the transition to be discontinuous. A corresponding phase diagram is constructed. / Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:26773 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Shagolsem, Lenin S., Sommer, Jens-Uwe |
| Publisher | Royal Society of Chemistry |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Source | Soft matter 2012;8:11328–11335, ISSN: 1744-683X |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 10.1039/c2sm26531a |
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