Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 8: Crystallization and Self Assembly I

CPP 8.1: Topical Talk

Monday, March 22, 2010, 11:00–11:30, H48

Mesoscopic structure formation of polymers in cylindrical nanopores — •Martin Steinhart — Institut für Chemie, Universität Osnabrück

Mesoscopic structure formation processes in the one-dimensional confinement of thin-film configurations, such as crystallization of semi-crystalline polymers and microphase separation of block copolymers (BCPs), have been studied intensively. Only recently, the study of polymers in real two-dimensional confinement, as it is imposed by cylindrical nanopores with rigid pore walls, has emerged as a focus of interest in polymer science. Even though gaining predictive understanding as to how two-dimensional confinement modifies structure formation is still challenging, it has already become clear that inside cylindrical nanopores unprecedented mesoscopic architectures with potentially novel functionalities are accessible. As examples in case crystallization of polymers in aligned ensembles of nanopores and the self-assembly of block copolymers will be discussed. Depending on the nucleation mechanism, crystallization may result in macroscopically uniform textures. It is straightforward that polymers confined to nanoporous hosts could be ideal model systems to study polymorphism, interphases and early stages of crystallization. BCPs confined to nanopores have been found to self-assemble into unprecedented nanoscopic domain structures characterized, for example, by helical structure motifs. Studying polymeric materials in cylindrical nanopores might reveal insight into structure formation processes in general and may pave the way for new functional components made of polymeric materials.