Trapped Topologies in Semiflexible Diblock Copolymer Melts

Abstract

Diblock copolymer melts with roughly symmetric composition produce a fluctuating, network-like morphology in the disordered state that converts to lamellae upon cooling through the order–disorder transition. Using dissipative particle dynamics simulations, we document the long-time trapping of a single bicontinuous, disordered network phase for a semiflexible diblock copolymer with a persistence length commensurate with the block contour length. The equilibrium lamellar phase is recovered upon subsequent thermal cycling near the equilibrium order–disorder condition. These insights suggest that a disordered network phase could be realized via the controlled cooling of a bottlebrush diblock copolymer melt possessing a modest backbone degree of polymerization.