The Decisive Role of Confinement in Enhancing or Suppressing Self‐Nucleation in Polyethylene‐Containing Block Copolymers

DOI zum Zitieren der Version auf EPub Bayreuth: https://doi.org/10.15495/EPub_UBT_00008996
URN to cite this document: urn:nbn:de:bvb:703-epub-8996-4

Title data

Liao, Yilong ; Sangroniz, Leire ; Safari, Maryam ; Schmalz, Holger ; Müller, Alejandro:
The Decisive Role of Confinement in Enhancing or Suppressing Self‐Nucleation in Polyethylene‐Containing Block Copolymers.
In: Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics. Vol. 226 (2025) Issue 14 . - e00056.
ISSN 1521-3935
DOI der Verlagsversion: https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202500056

	Format: PDF Name: Macro Chemistry Physics - 2025 - Liao - The Decisive Role of Confinement in Enhancing or Suppressing Self‐Nucleation in.pdf Version: Published Version Available under License Creative Commons BY 4.0: Attribution
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Abstract

The influence of confinement on the self-nucleation behavior of crystallizable polyethylene (PE) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) blocks in block copolymers of different architectures was studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The amorphous blocks, polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with high glass transition temperatures, create glassy matrices that confine crystallization in the microphase-segregated block copolymers. For diblock copolymers (PS-b-PE, PMMA-b-PE), the PE blocks exhibit stronger melt memory than neat PE, as moderate confinement favors the preservation of the conformations adopted in the crystalline regions. However, when both ends of the PE block are tethered to glassy blocks, in PS-b-PE-b-PS and PS-b-PE-b-PMMA, melt memory and self-nucleation completely vanish as the confinement degree increases. In PS-b-PE-b-PEO triblock terpolymers, the self-nucleation of the PE block is hindered even at very low temperatures, where annealing is dominant. The PEO block undergoes a complex fractionated crystallization where self-nucleation disappears in the isolated, highly confined microdomains. SSA (successive self-nucleation and annealing) thermal fractionation results are similar for PE and PE blocks (i.e., hydrogenated polybutadiene), resulting from molecular defects caused by branching. Our results indicate that the melt memory of confined crystallizable blocks can be triggered by moderate confinement but completely suppressed when confinement is too strong.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Keywords:	Crystallizable blocks; confinement; block copolymers; self-nucleation; thermal fractionation
DDC Subjects:	500 Science > 540 Chemistry
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Chemistry Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences > Department of Chemistry > Chair Macromolecular Chemistry II Profile Fields > Advanced Fields > Polymer and Colloid Science Research Institutions > Affiliated Institutes > Bavarian Polymer Institute (BPI) Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences Profile Fields Profile Fields > Advanced Fields Research Institutions Research Institutions > Affiliated Institutes
Language:	English
Originates at UBT:	Yes
URN:	urn:nbn:de:bvb:703-epub-8996-4
Date Deposited:	17 Mar 2026 10:09
Last Modified:	17 Mar 2026 10:10
URI:	https://epub.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/8996

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