@article{6648,
  keywords = {Breakout crystallization, Conducting polymers, Confined crystallization, Order-to-disorder transition, Semicrystalline block copolymer},
  author = {Shrayesh N Patel and Anna E Javier and Keith M Beers and John A Pople and Victor Ho and Rachel A Segalman and Nitash P Balsara},
  title = {Morphology and Thermodynamic Properties of a Copolymer with an Electronically Conducting Block: Poly (3-ethylhexylthiophene)-block-poly (ethylene oxide)},
  abstract = {<p>We report on the synthesis and morphology of a block copolymer, poly(3-(2'-ethylhexyl)thiophene)-<em>b</em>-poly(ethylene oxide) (P3EHT-<em>b</em>-PEO), that conducts both electrons and ions. We show that in the melt state the P3EHT-<em>b</em>-PEO chains self-assemble to produce traditional nanoscale morphologies such as lamellae and gyroid. This is in contrast to a majority of previous studies on copolymers with electronically conducting blocks wherein a nanofibrillar morphology is obtained. Our approach enables estimation of the Flory{\textendash}Huggins interaction parameter, χ. The segregation strength between the two blocks is controlled through the addition of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI). For the salt-free sample, the gyroid morphology, obtained in the melt state, is transformed into lamellae below the melting temperature of the P3EHT block. This is due to the {\textquotedblleft}breaking out{\textquotedblright} of the crystalline phase. For the salt-containing sample, P3EHT-<em>b</em>-PEO has a lamellar morphology in both melt and crystalline states (confined crystallization).</p>},
  year = {2012},
  booktitle = {Nano Letters},
  journal = {Nano Letters},
  series = {Nano Letters},
  volume = {12},
  number = {9},
  pages = {4901-4906},
  month = {09/2012},
  doi = {10.1021/nl302454c},
  language = {eng},
}