Self-assembly of an A-B diblock copolymer blended with a C homopolymer and a C-D diblock copolymer through hydrogen bonding interaction

In this study, we investigated the miscibility, phase behavior, and self-assembled nanostructures formed from the immiscible crystalline-amorphous diblock copolymer poly(ɛ-caprolactone-b-4-vinyl pyridine) (PCL-b-P4VP, A-B) when blended with the homopolymer poly(vinyl phenol) (PVPh, C) and the diblock copolymer poly(vinyl phenol-b-styrene) (PVPh-b-PS, C-D). Long-range-ordered microphase separation was difficult to achieve in the PCL-b-P4VP/PVPh (A-B/C) blend system because PVPh interacted with both the P4VP and PCL blocks simultaneously through hydrogen bonding interactions. In contrast, we observed sharp, multiple orders of diffraction in the SAXS profiles of the PCL-b-P4VP/PVPh-b-PS (A-B/C-D) blend system, indicating that perfect microphase separation occurred because the incorporation of the PS block induced the PVPh block to hydrogen bond preferentially with the P4VP block. This simple A-B/C-D (PCL-b-P4VP/PVPh-b-PS) diblock copolymer mixture exhibited self-assembly behavior (a three-lamella phase) similar to that of a corresponding ABC triblock copolymer.