|
Abstract
|
Novel binary rod-coil andternary rod-coil-coil
mixed-brushes were designed using poly(ethylene glycol)
(PEG)-b-poly(styrene) (PS), PEG-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and PEG-b-polyaniline (PANI) block copolymers. In the current rod-coil mixed-brushes, the brush osmotic
pressure did not absolutely affect the surface morphology, instead, the rigidity or flexibility of brushes was a dominant
factor. The flexibility of coily PS brushes caused them to be
easily entered into the system compared to the rod brushes with
higher osmotic pressure, thereby they composed the matrix
phase. In a similar growth condition but with packed pancake
PMMA brushes, a more faise osmotic pressure was detected
for PANI nanorods in the vicinity of PMMA brushes compared
to PS ones. A higher faise osmotic pressure for PANI nanorods
reflected the lower diameter dispersity and population of PANI
nanorods in PEG-b-PMMA/PEG-b-PANI compared to PEGb-PS/PEG-b-PANI. Via enhancing the amorphous brushes molecular weight, in a constant PANI nanorods molecular weight,
the diameter dispersity and population of PANI nanorods increased. The PANI nanorods diameter in binary PS/PANI and
PMMA/PANI mixed-brushes ranged in 6–10 nm. With elevating the crystallization temperature, no changes were detected
in the morphology of rod-coil mixed-brush single crystals. In
the novel ternary mixed-brushes with the amorphous PS and
PMMA brushes and the PANI nanorods, the PANI nanorods
were dispersed within both matrix (PS) and disperse (PMMA)
phases. In these systems, the PANI diameters were 6 and 7 nm
in PMMA disperses and 6–9 nm in PS matrix phase. The
overall PANI nanorods population was in the range of 594–
1392 for binary mixed-brushes. Furthermore, in ternary structures, the PANI overall populations were about 222 and 316 in
PMMA and PS phases, respectively. Generally, in all binary
and ternary mixed-brush systems, the amorphous brushes (PS
and PMMA), due to their flexibility could be arranged in the
vicinity of e
|