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Temperature Effects on Surface Pattern Formation in Thin Block Copolymer Films
Published
Author(s)
A P. Smith, Jack F. Douglas, Eric J. Amis, Alamgir Karim
Abstract
Hole formation on the surface of thin films of symmetric diblock copolymers is investigated as a function of time, t, temperature, T, and film thickness, h. The size of the holes approaches a steady state value at long times and their long-time size is found to increase with increasing T. A simple model of the hole growth kinetics is introduced to describe these observations. In addition, the characteristic time governing the rate of approach to the long time staionary pattern limit is observed to first decrease and then increase with increasing T. These observations suggest a critical slowing down of the equilibration of the film to its steady state and a reduction of the surface elasticity k of the outer block copolymer layer with increasing temperature, effects interpreted to arise from thermal fluctuations associated with the disordering transition.
Smith, A.
, Douglas, J.
, Amis, E.
and Karim, A.
(2021),
Temperature Effects on Surface Pattern Formation in Thin Block Copolymer Films, Langmuir
(Accessed March 28, 2024)