Dependency of the "Shape" on Surface Morphology of Organized Molecular Films of Cyclic and Linear Block Copolymer of Polyethylene Oxide – Butyl Acrylate

Abstract

A "topological polymer chemistry" at air/water interface is investigated by using an amphiphilic linear and cyclic block copolymers. A cyclic copolymer and two kind of linear polymers (AB-type diblock and ABA-type triblock copolymers) with same components were used in the study. The relatively stable monolayers of these three kinds of copolymers were formed at the air/water interface. The analogous condensed tendency and temperature dependency were observed in surface pressure-area isotherms of three kinds of monolayers. It is considered that molecular orientation at air/water interface of two kinds of liner block copolymers is similar to that of cyclic block copolymer. From the result of atomic force microscopic observation of transfered films, monolayers of the three kinds of polymers have formed a very similar morphology at mesoscopic scale under the conditions at room temperature and the constant compression speed. It finds that ABA type triblock liner copolymer formed fiber-like surface morphology by the two-dimensional crystallization based on the low compression speed. On the other hand, cyclic block copolymer formed shapeless domain.