Defects in Lamellar Diblock Copolymers: Chevron- and Omega-shaped Tilt Boundaries
Abstract
We investigate symmetric grain boundaries in a lamellar diblock copolymer system. The form of the interface between two grains strongly depends on the angle , between the normals of the grains. When this angle is small, the lamellae transform smoothly from one orientation to the other, creating the chevron morphology. As increases, a gradual transition is observed to an omega morphology characterized by a protrusion of the lamellae along the interface between the two phases. We present a theoretical approach to find these tilt boundaries in two-dimensional systems, based on a Ginzburg-Landau expansion of the free energy. Calculated order parameter profiles and energies agree well with transmission electron microscope experiments, and with full numerical solution of the same problem.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/9905378,
title = {Defects in Lamellar Diblock Copolymers: Chevron- and Omega-shaped Tilt Boundaries},
author = {Yoav Tsori and David Andelman and Michael Schick},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/9905378},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
11 pages, 10 gzipped postscript and jpeg figures, published in PRE Vol. 61, March 2000