Preparation of oriented liquid-crystalline/isotropic block copolymer films with parallel or perpendicular arrangement of smectic layers and lamellar microdomains

摘要

Communication: Films of a symmetric liquid-crystalline/isotropic block copolymer consisting of a smectic LC side-chain polymer and polystyrene were prepared by solvent casting from solution and from the isotropic melt. By annealing the solvent-cast film in the S-A phase an oriented microphase-separated film of lamellar morphology was obtained in which both the lamellae of the block copolymer and the smectic layers of the LC block were oriented parallel to the film surface. A lamellar morphology with perpendicular orientation of lamellae and smectic layers was generated by cooling the block copolymer from the melt. References: 15