Dresden 2011 – scientific programme
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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik
CPP 27: Polymer Self Assembly
CPP 27.1: Talk
Wednesday, March 16, 2011, 12:00–12:15, ZEU 160
Piezoelectric Properties of Non-Polar Block Copolymers — •Christian W. Pester1, Markus Ruppel1,2, Heiko G. Schoberth1, Volker S. Urban2, and Alexander Böker1 — 1DWI an der RWTH Aachen and Lehrstuhl für Makromolekulare Materialien und Oberflächen, RWTH Aachen, D-52056 Aachen, Germany — 2Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
We elaborate on the effects of electric fields on the domain spacings of poly(styrene-b-isoprene) block copolymer nanostructures. Synchrotron Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) at the ESRF in Grenoble, France helped us to quantitatively evaluate the interaction between an applied external electric field and domain spacings and allowed the first description of piezoelectric properties in non-polar, non-crystalline soft matter systems, as the domains of both the phase separated and the disordered state react linearly to the strength of the electric field. The distortion is instantaneous, fully reversible and its magnitude compares to other piezoelectric systems. We further study the temperature dependence of this electroactive property and its anisotropic behavior for different chain orientations, which further allowed us important insights into the molecular origin of electric field ↔ polymer chain interactions and the polymer’s phase behavior on a microscopic level.