TY - JOUR A1 - Kathrein, Christine C. A1 - Bai, Wubin A1 - Nunns, Adam A1 - Gwyther, Jessica A1 - Manners, Ian A1 - Böker, Alexander A1 - Tsarkova, Larisa A1 - Ross, Caroline A. T1 - Electric field manipulated nanopatterns in thin films of metalorganic 3-miktoarm star terpolymers JF - Soft matter N2 - We report the effect of electric field on the morphological transitions and ordering behavior of polyferrocenylethylmethylsilane block (PFEMS)-containing copolymers. By analyzing structures in solvent-annealed films of metalorganic sphere-and cylinder-forming diblock copolymers, as well as of 3-miktoarm polyisoprene-arm-polystyrene-arm-PFEMS (3 mu-ISF) terpolymers, we decouple two types of responses to the electric field: morphological transformations as a result of an increase in the volume fraction of the PFEMS block by oxidation of the ferrocenyl groups, and the orientation of the dielectric interfaces of microdomains parallel to the electric field vector. In the case of 3m-ISF, the former effect dominates at high electric field strengths which results in an unexpected cylinder-to-sphere transition, leading to a well-ordered hexagonal dot pattern. Our results demonstrate multiple tunability of ordered microdomain morphologies, suggesting future applications in nanofabrication and surface patterning. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm00451b SN - 1744-683X SN - 1744-6848 VL - 12 SP - 4866 EP - 4874 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kathrein, Christine C. A1 - Pester, Christian A1 - Ruppel, Markus A1 - Jung, Maike A1 - Zimmermann, Marc A1 - Böker, Alexander T1 - Reorientation mechanisms of block copolymer/CdSe quantum dot composites under application of an electric field JF - Soft matter N2 - Time- and temperature-resolved in situ birefringence measurements were applied to analyze the effect of nanoparticles on the electric field-induced alignment of a microphase separated solution of poly(styrene)-block-poly(isoprene) in toluene. Through the incorporation of isoprene-confined CdSe quantum dots the reorientation behavior is altered. Particle loading lowers the order-disorder transition temperature, and increases the defect density, favoring nucleation and growth as an alignment mechanism over rotation of grains. The temperature dependent alteration in the reorientation mechanism is analyzed via a combination of birefringence and synchrotron SAXS. The detailed understanding of the effect of nanoparticles on the reorientation mechanism is an important prerequisite for optimization of electricfield-induced alignment of block copolymer/nanoparticle composites where the block copolymer guides the nanoparticle self-assembly into anisotropic structures. Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1039/c6sm01073c SN - 1744-683X SN - 1744-6848 VL - 12 SP - 8417 EP - 8424 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kathrein, Christine C. A1 - Bai, Wubin A1 - Currivan-Incorvia, Jean Anne A1 - Liontos, George A1 - Ntetsikas, Konstantinos A1 - Avgeropoulos, Apostolos A1 - Böker, Alexander A1 - Tsarkova, Larisa A1 - Ross, Caroline A. T1 - Combining Graphoepitaxy and Electric Fields toward Uniaxial Alignment of Solvent-Annealed Polystyrene-b-Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Block Copolymers JF - Chemistry of materials : a publication of the American Chemical Society N2 - We report a combined directing effect of the simultaneously applied graphoepitaxy and electric field on the self-assembly of cylinder forming polystyrene-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane) block copolymer in thin films. A correlation length of up to 20 mu m of uniaxial ordered striped patterns is an order of magnitude greater than that produced by either graphoepitaxy or electric field alignment alone and is achieved at reduced annealing times. The angle between the electric field direction and the topographic guides as well as the dimensions of the trenches affected both the quality of the ordering and the direction of the orientation of cylindrical domains: parallel or perpendicular to the topographic features. We quantified the interplay between the electric field and the geometry of the topographic structures by constructing the phase diagram of microdomain orientation. This combined approach allows the fabrication of highly ordered block copolymer structures using macroscopically prepatterned photolithographic substrates. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.5b03354 SN - 0897-4756 SN - 1520-5002 VL - 27 IS - 19 SP - 6890 EP - 6898 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kathrein, Christine C. A1 - Kipnusu, Wycliffe K. A1 - Kremer, Friedrich A1 - Böker, Alexander T1 - Birefringence Analysis of the Effect of Electric Fields on the Order-Disorder Transition Temperature of Lamellae Forming Block Copolymers JF - Macromolecules : a publication of the American Chemical Society N2 - A detailed birefringence analysis of the effect of strong dc electric fields on the order-disorder transition temperature (T-ODT) of lamella forming block copolymers is reported. The setup presented here enabled the measurement of the T-ODT with high temperature resolution while the birefringence measurements were nondestructive and straightforward compared to alternative methods. A downward shift in the transition temperature was found for all samples upon application of the electric field. The data indicate that the dominating parameter that evokes the mixing of block copolymers when exposed to electric fields is the difference in dielectric permittivity Delta epsilon between the block copolymer constituents. The extent to which the T-ODT is shifted is furthermore influenced by the degree of polymerization N. Shifts in the transition temperature of up to 7 degrees C were found upon application of an electric field of 5 kV/mm. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.5b00512 SN - 0024-9297 SN - 1520-5835 VL - 48 IS - 10 SP - 3354 EP - 3359 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington ER -