Langmuir, Vol.17, No.14, 4342-4346, 2001
Periodic surface topology of three-arm semifluorinated alkane monodendron diblock copolymers
Scanning force microscopy has been used to reveal the surface topology of the smectic B phase of(styrene-isoprene) diblock copolymers that have semifluorinated (SF) alkane mesogens attached as three-arm monodendrons to the isoprene backbone. On the largest length scales, the block copolymers microphase separate into well-known diblock copolymer microstructures and evidence of these can been seen in the surface topology. However, there are periodic surface structures, so-called domes (with periodicities of about 18.5 nm), that arise solely from the arrangement of the SF mesogens at the polymer surface. These domes are intrinsically independent of the much larger morphology of the block copolymer. Very long range (ca. micrometers) ordering of the domes is possible for lamellar block copolymer microstructures if the surfaces are prepared by very slow cooling from the isotropic to the smectic B phase. We infer that the domes arise because of spontaneous surface curvature resulting from mesogen crowding within the monodendrons.