@article{03c130afb8ec450c925e17dee49a76bb,
title = "Morphology and confinement effects on crystallization kinetics in polyethylene containing block copolymers",
abstract = "This paper investigates the morphology and crystallization kinetics of polyethylene (PE) containing block copolymers, differing in block number (di- vs. triblock copolymers) and composition (ABA triblock co- vs. ABC triblock terpolymers). In these block copolymers, the crystallizable PE block is linked to amorphous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and/or polystyrene (PS) blocks, and for one triblock terpolymer, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was introduced as an additional crystallizable block. The topological confinement exerted by the covalent linkage of PE to the other blocks (glassy PMMA and PS, PEO) in combination with the morphological confinement into different PE microdomains (cylinders, lamella) significantly influence the crystallization behavior, resulting in slower crystallization kinetics compared to pure PE. The strongest effects were observed for triblock terpolymers, where the lamellar PE domains are disrupted by PS cylinders or distorted PS domains. This research enhances our understanding of block copolymers with confined crystallizable segments, aiding in tailored material design.",
keywords = "Block copolymers, Confinement, Crystallization kinetics, Morphology",
author = "Maryam Safari and Connie Ocando and Yilong Liao and Markus Drechsler and Nina Volk and Roman Schaller and Martin Held and Volker Abetz and Holger Schmalz and M{\"u}ller, \{Alejandro J.\}",
note = "Funding Information: In the case of the s-SES-23 triblock copolymer, in which the PE block is positioned between two PS end blocks, the Tc is even lower (Tc = 61 °C) compared to that observed in the respective SE-36 and EM-42 diblock copolymers. This reduction in Tc indicates that the single Tc value corresponds to the crystallization of confined microdomains that nucleate superficially within the triblock copolymer structure. Similar decreases in Tc were observed for SES triblock copolymers with decreasing weight fractions of the PE block, underlining the increased confinement acting on PE crystallization upon moving from a continuous to a dispersed PE microphase [42]. The cylindrical morphology observed by TEM (Table 2) further supports the conclusion drawn from the DSC results.We acknowledge the support of the key labs “Synthesis and Molecular Characterization” and “Electron and Optical Microscopy” of the Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI) at the University of Bayreuth. We thank Prof. Andreas Greiner and Prof. Georg Papastavrou for support and Rika Schneider for SEC measurements. This research was also supported by the project PID2020-113045 GB-C21, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501,100,011,033 and by the Basque Government through grant IT1503-22.We acknowledge support of the keylabs “Synthesis and Molecular Characterization” and “Electron and Optical Microscopy” of the Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI) at the University of Bayreuth. We thank Prof. Andreas Greiner and Prof. Georg Papastavrou for support, as well as Rika Schneider for SEC measurements. This research was also supported by the project PID2020-113045 GB-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the Basque Government through grant IT1503-22. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s)",
year = "2024",
month = apr,
day = "9",
doi = "10.1016/j.polymer.2024.126863",
language = "English",
volume = "298",
journal = "Polymer",
issn = "0032-3861",
publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",
}