Gyroid Structures at Highly Asymmetric Volume Fractions by Blending of ABC Triblock Terpolymer and AB Diblock Copolymer

Abstract

We investigated, via small-angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy, the morphologies of binary blend of polyisoprene-b-polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (ISP) triblock terpolymer and polyisoprene-b-polystyrene (IS) diblock copolymer. An asymmetric ISP with volume fractions (f) of 0.12, 0.75, and 0.13 for PI, PS, and P2VP blocks, respectively, showed a new morphology: coexistence of spheres and cylinders with tetragonal packing. Asymmetric IS with f(I) = 0.11 and f(s) = 0.89 showed conventional body-centered cubic spherical microdomains. Very interestingly, a binary blend of ISP and IS with overall volume fractions of f(I) = 0.12, f(s) = 0.79, and f(P) = 0.09 exhibited core shell double gyroid (CSG: Q(230) space group), where PI consists of thin core and PS forms thick shell, while P2VP becomes thin matrix. It is very unusual to form CSG even at highly asymmetric volume fractions.