화학공학소재연구정보센터
Journal of Physical Chemistry B, Vol.123, No.10, 2448-2453, 2019
Accelerated Aging of PS Blocks in PS-b-PMMA Diblock Copolymer under Hard Confinement
This letter presents an accelerated physical aging of polystyrene (PS) blocks in polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) diblock copolymers under hard confinement. The three-dimensional hard nanoconfinement was provided by the PMMA component owing to its high elasticity and was formed via self-assembled microphase separation. Aging was observed by measuring enthalpy recovery of the PS blocks in the copolymers for which the degree of polymerization (N) of PS blocks is fixed, whereas the N of PMMA blocks varies. Our results demonstrate that the aging speed of the PS blocks can increase by a factor of three to that of the neat PS as the N of PMMA blocks increases. Therefore, the hard confinement accelerates physical aging of the PS blocks, i.e., the relatively soft component in the copolymer.