Adsorption and thin film formation of diblock and triblock copolymers

✍ Scribed by M. Stamm; J.R. Dorgan

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 768 KB
• Volume: 86
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0927-7757
• DOI: 10.1016/0927-7757(94)02836-2

✦ Synopsis

The adsorption of diblock and triblock copolymers of styrene and ethylene oxide, P(S-b-EO), from dilute solution is studied by ellipsometry.

The copolymers consist of short poly(ethylene oxide) blocks which adsorb onto a silicon wafer and longer polystyrene blocks which do not adsorb on the substrate under the conditions employed, but dangle in solution. Surface coverage is monitored as a function of time, and different time regimes are resolved. The equilibrium surface coverage is discussed with respect to scaling models where the ratio of the block lengths determines the adsorption behaviour. Also, dry films of adsorbed copolymers are analysed by ellipsometry and X-ray reflectometry.