Solvent selectivity governed self-assembly of block copolymer in nanofabrication.

Block copolymer-based nanoproducts including particles, fibers and films show promise in high-end applications including nanotemplating, nanolithography, and nanoporous membranes due to their advantageous self-assembled structure. However, few studies probe the nanofabrication process in detail and monitor the concomitant self-assembled structural transitions. Herein, time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is exploited to follow such nanostructural changes. Evaporation-induced casting, electrospraying or electrospinning, followed by a final solvent vapor annealing step, have been used to create a series of nanoproducts with reversibly tunable morphologies from a model block copolymer, polystyrene- b -poly(ethylene- co -butylene)- b -polystyrene (SEBS). During evaporation-induced casting, which is considered as an unconfined system, a selective (co)solvent system composed of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dimethylformamide (DMF) can lead to the formation of various SEBS structures. For DMF-based unconfined systems, the final SEBS lamellar structures were found to be different from the structure formed from THF only, demonstrating the critical role of solvent selection in evaporation-induced casting. The comparison of SEBS electrospun fibers reveals the unique and complex self-assembled structural transition occurring in a confined system. Time-resolved SAXS studies of our model triblock copolymer provide guidelines for a more general approach to access various nanostructures from self-assembling block copolymers. [Display omitted] • Successfully monitor triblock copolymer self-assembled structural transitions via either evaporation-induced method or vapor annealing by time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering studies. • Mechanism insights of triblock copolymer self-assembled structural transitions by small-angle X-ray scattering modelling. • Detailed comparisons of nano-scale block copolymer self-assembled structures between different nanofabrication methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]