Imaging of phase segregation in gradient copolymers: Island and hole surface topography

Application of traditional block copolymer microscopy techniques to gradient copolymers yields limited results, due to the low compositional contrast provided from the sinusoidal composition profiles of their phase segregated nanostructures. In contrast, optical microscopy and profilometry allow for the first direct visualization of their phase segregation properties through surface features formed in annealed thin films. Three comonomer systems are studied; one block and one gradient copolymer are compared for each system. Island/hole topography is observed in all block cases. Of the three gradient copolymers, one showed no pattern development and two showed emergence of island/hole patterns, which coarsen over initial annealing and then appear to anneal away. These results are related to the lower driving force for phase segregation from gradient sequencing, which lowers the potential of gradient copolymers to form island/hole patterns and also to pin any patterns formed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012 Gradient sequencing rather than block sequencing within linear copolymers yields phase‐segregated nanostructures with sinusoidal composition profiles rather than step‐like profiles. As a result, the application of traditional block copolymer microscopy techniques to gradient copolymers yields limited results, due to their low compositional contrast. Here, optical microscopy and profilometry are applied to demonstrate the first direct visualization of gradient copolymer phase segregation properties through island/hole surface features formed in thin films on annealing.