Self-assembly of pODMA-b-ptBA-b-pODMA triblock copolymers in bulk and on surfaces. A quantitative SAXS/AFM comparison.

The phase state of a series of poly(n-octadecyl methacrylate)-b-poly(tert-butyl acrylate)-b-poly(n-octadecyl methacrylate) (pODMA-b-ptBA-b-pODMA) triblock copolymers, synthesized through atom transfer radical polymerization, has been investigated in bulk and on surfaces using small-angle X-ray scattering and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The mean-field theory was employed to construct the bulk phase diagram. Excellent agreement was found between the bulk and surface morphologies as well as for the domain spacing (domain spacing scaled as d approximately equal to N(0.64)), suggesting that the strong polymer-polymer interactions in bulk are also the dominant interactions on surfaces.