Kurt A. Koppi

Epitaxial growth and shearing of the body centered cubic phase in diblock copolymer melts

Two poly(ethylenepropylene)–poly(ethylethylene) (PEP‐PEE) diblock copolymer melts, containing 25% and 83% by volume PEP, were investigated using small‐angle neutron scattering (SANS) and rheological measurements. The SANS measurements were performed with the aid of an in situ shearing device operated directly in the neutron beam. Each sample was observed to possess three equilibrium phases: two ordered phases at low temperature and a disordered phase at elevated temperatures. The low and high temperature ordered phases have been evaluated to be hexagonally packed (hex) cylinders and body centered cubic (bcc) spheres, respectively. Application of a large amplitude dynamic shear deformation to the hex phase leads to well‐aligned cylinders, with a specific crystallographic orientation relative to the shear plane. Upon heating through the cylinder‐to‐sphere transition, the bcc phase grows epitaxially, with the [111] direction coincident with the original cylinder axis, leading to a well‐defined twinned micros...

Shear devices for in situ structural studies of block-copolymer melts and solutions

Structural studies of soft material while exposed in situ to stretch or shear provide a new experimental technique which gives important insight into polymer dynamics. Such devices can be used for making single-domain block-copolymer and colloidal mesophases, and to study various growth mechanisms. In addition, combined structure and shear instruments can give detailed insight into the influence of fluctuations. Two types of shear device, the Couette cell and a parallel plate device, are presented, and some applications are shown.