Structural changes of diblock copolymer melts due to an external electric field: a self-consistent field theory study

Details Structural changes of diblock copolymer melts due to an external electric field: a self-consistent field theory study Structural changes of diblock copolymer melts due to an external electric field: a self-consistent field theory study

2005-02-25

arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0502624v2

Macromolecules 38, 5766 (2005)

Physics

Condensed Matter

Soft Condensed Matter

23 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Macromolecules on February 25,2005

Scientific paper

10.1021/ma050408m

We study the phase behavior of diblock copolymers in presence of an external electric field. We employ self-consistent field theory and treat the relevant Maxwell equation as an additional self-consistent equation. Because we do not treat the electric field perturbatively, we can examine its effects even when its magnitude is large. The electric field couples to the system's morphology only through the difference between the dielectric constants of the two blocks. We find that an external field aligns a body-centered cubic phase along the (111) direction, reducing its symmetry group to $R{\bar 3}m$. Transitions between this phase and the disordered or hexagonal phases can occur for external electric fields ranging from a minimum to a maximum value beyond which the $R{\bar 3m}$ phase disappears completely. This electric-field range depends on diblock architecture and temperature. We present several cuts through the phase diagram in the space of temperature, architecture and applied field, including one applicable to a system recently studied.

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