TY - JOUR
T1 - Structure and thermal response of thin thermoresponsive polystyrene- block -poly(methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate)- block -polystyrene films
AU - Zhong, Qi
AU - Metwalli, Ezzeldin
AU - Rawolle, Monika
AU - Kaune, Gunar
AU - Bivigou-Koumba, Achille M.
AU - Laschewsky, André
AU - Papadakis, Christine M.
AU - Cubitt, Robert
AU - Müller-Buschbaum, Peter
PY - 2013/5/28
Y1 - 2013/5/28
N2 - Thin thermoresponsive films of the triblock copolymer polystyrene-block- poly(methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene (P(S-b-MDEGA-b-S)) are investigated on silicon substrates. By spin-coating, homogeneous and smooth films are prepared for a range of film thicknesses from 6 to 82 nm. Films are stable with respect to dewetting as investigated with optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. P(S-b-MDEGA-b-S) films with a thickness of 39 nm exhibit a phase transition of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type at 36.5 C. The swelling and the thermoresponsive behavior of the films with respect to a sudden thermal stimulus are probed with in-situ neutron reflectivity. In undersaturated water vapor swelling proceeds without thickness increase. The thermoresponse proceeds in three steps: First, the film rejects water as the temperature is above LCST. Next, it stays constant for 600 s, before the collapsed film takes up water again. With ATR-FTIR measurements, changes of bound water in the film caused by different thermal stimuli are studied. Hydrogen bonds only form between C=O and water in the swollen film. Above the LCST most hydrogen bonds with water are broken, but some amount of bound water remains inside the film in agreement with the neutron reflectivity data. Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) shows that the inner lateral structure is not significantly influenced by the different thermal stimuli.
AB - Thin thermoresponsive films of the triblock copolymer polystyrene-block- poly(methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate)-block-polystyrene (P(S-b-MDEGA-b-S)) are investigated on silicon substrates. By spin-coating, homogeneous and smooth films are prepared for a range of film thicknesses from 6 to 82 nm. Films are stable with respect to dewetting as investigated with optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. P(S-b-MDEGA-b-S) films with a thickness of 39 nm exhibit a phase transition of the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) type at 36.5 C. The swelling and the thermoresponsive behavior of the films with respect to a sudden thermal stimulus are probed with in-situ neutron reflectivity. In undersaturated water vapor swelling proceeds without thickness increase. The thermoresponse proceeds in three steps: First, the film rejects water as the temperature is above LCST. Next, it stays constant for 600 s, before the collapsed film takes up water again. With ATR-FTIR measurements, changes of bound water in the film caused by different thermal stimuli are studied. Hydrogen bonds only form between C=O and water in the swollen film. Above the LCST most hydrogen bonds with water are broken, but some amount of bound water remains inside the film in agreement with the neutron reflectivity data. Grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) shows that the inner lateral structure is not significantly influenced by the different thermal stimuli.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84878280839&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/ma400627u
DO - 10.1021/ma400627u
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84878280839
SN - 0024-9297
VL - 46
SP - 4069
EP - 4080
JO - Macromolecules
JF - Macromolecules
IS - 10
ER -