Block copolymers have become increasingly important in applications that require precise control of surface chemistry, surface energy, or exact in-plane placement of surface microstructure or topography in applications ranging from biotechnology to microelectronics. Often processing is a critical element in achieving these disparate sets of properties. This presentation will discuss two areas in which block copolymers are increasingly playing an important role: i) tailoring fouling release surfaces in which the block copolymer determines surface structure and ii) directed self-assembly of block copolymers for nanolithography. In the first example a series of surface active block copolymers will be discussed in which an anionically polymerized block copolymer is chemically modified with both polar and non-polar units to create an ambiguous surface that is effective across a broad range of fouling species. Coating methods were investigated for their ability to deliver the surface active segments to the coating surface using a variety of surface analytical methods including near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). In the second example, block copolymers designed with a crosslinkable block and an easily etched to degraded second block were prepared and studied as 2D pattern forming materials for nanopattern formation. Solvent vapor annealing of these polymers was carried out and starting with a cylinder forming block copolymer, non-equilibrium structures could be trapped in the polymer films enabling pattern formation of a range of microstructures including the gyroid phase. Laser spike annealing of block copolymer films for high speed, high temperature processing to make structures with long range order will also be discussed

Tailored block copolymers and their processing for self-assembled thin films applications

249th National Meeting (2015)

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