TY - JOUR
T1 - Structural Changes in Block Copolymers
T2 - Coupling of Electric Field and Mobile Ions
AU - Tsori, Yoav
AU - Tournilhac, François
AU - Andelman, David
AU - Leibler, Ludwik
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank T. Russell for discussions and communica?>tion of his experimental results prior to publication and ?>T. Thurn-Albrecht for useful comments. One of us (D. A.) acknowledges support from the Israel Science Foundation under Grant No. 210/02.
PY - 2003/4/11
Y1 - 2003/4/11
N2 - We argue that the presence of dissociated ions in block copolymers under electric fields can induce strong morphological changes and even lead to phase transitions. We investigate, in particular, diblock copolymers in the body centered cubic (bcc) phase. In pure dielectric materials (no free charges), a dielectric breakdown is expected to occur for large enough electric fields, preempting any structural phase transition. On the other hand, dissociated ions are predicted to induce a phase transition to a hexagonal array of cylinders, at fields of about [Formula presented] or even lower. The strength of this mechanism can be tuned by controlling the amount of free ions present.
AB - We argue that the presence of dissociated ions in block copolymers under electric fields can induce strong morphological changes and even lead to phase transitions. We investigate, in particular, diblock copolymers in the body centered cubic (bcc) phase. In pure dielectric materials (no free charges), a dielectric breakdown is expected to occur for large enough electric fields, preempting any structural phase transition. On the other hand, dissociated ions are predicted to induce a phase transition to a hexagonal array of cylinders, at fields of about [Formula presented] or even lower. The strength of this mechanism can be tuned by controlling the amount of free ions present.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80051615344&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.145504
DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.90.145504
M3 - מאמר
AN - SCOPUS:0037527863
SN - 0031-9007
VL - 90
SP - 4
JO - Physical Review Letters
JF - Physical Review Letters
IS - 14
M1 - 145504
ER -