1. Direct Imaging of the Crystalline Domains and Their Orientation in the PS‑b‑PEO Block Copolymer with 4D-STEM
- Author
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Chen, Min, Bustillo, Karen C, Patel, Vivaan, Savitzky, Benjamin H, Sternlicht, Hadas, Maslyn, Jacqueline A, Loo, Whitney S, Ciston, Jim, Ophus, Colin, Jiang, Xi, Balsara, Nitash P, and Minor, Andrew M
- Subjects
Engineering ,Materials Engineering ,Chemical Sciences ,Polymers ,Chemical sciences - Abstract
The arrangement of crystalline domains in semicrystalline polymers is key to understanding how to optimize the nanostructured morphology for enabling better properties. For example, in polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO), the degree of crystallinity and arrangement of the crystallites within the PEO phase plays a crucial role in determining the physical properties of the electrolyte. Here, we used four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy to directly visualize the crystal domains within the PEO-rich region of the PS-b-PEO block copolymer and show the relative angle of the domain with respect to the PEO-PS interface. As demonstrated here, our analysis method is applicable to other electron-beam sensitive materials, especially semicrystalline polymers, to unveil their local phase condition and distribution.
- Published
- 2024