Amplifying (Im)perfection: The Impact of Crystallinity in Discrete and Disperse Block Co-oligomers

J Am Chem Soc. 2017 Oct 25;139(42):14869-14872. doi: 10.1021/jacs.7b08627. Epub 2017 Oct 17.

Abstract

Crystallinity is seldomly utilized as part of the microphase segregation process in ultralow-molecular-weight block copolymers. Here, we show the preparation of two types of discrete, semicrystalline block co-oligomers, comprising an amorphous oligodimethylsiloxane block and a crystalline oligo-l-lactic acid or oligomethylene block. The self-assembly of these discrete materials results in lamellar structures with unforeseen uniformity in the domain spacing. A systematic introduction of dispersity reveals the extreme sensitivity of the microphase segregation process toward chain length dispersity in the crystalline block.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't