Molecular theory of liquid-crystal ordering in rod-coil diblock copolymers

M. A. Osipov and M. V. Gorkunov
Phys. Rev. E 100, 042701 – Published 2 October 2019

Abstract

Molecular-statistical theory of rod-coil diblock copolymers is proposed using the general density functional approach which enables one to consider the cases of both weak and strong segregation. The free energy of the system is expressed as a functional of the phase-space densities of rod and coil monomers, which depend on the orientational and translational order parameters. Temperature-concentration phase diagrams are obtained and the profiles of all order parameters are calculated numerically by minimizing the polymer free energy. The lamellar phase is shown to possess strong orientational order which is partially induced by the phase structural anisotropy. The enhanced stability of the lamellar phase is determined by a combination of the microphase separation effects and the emergence of long-range smectic order.

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  • Received 25 February 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.100.042701

©2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Statistical Physics & ThermodynamicsPolymers & Soft Matter

Authors & Affiliations

M. A. Osipov1,2 and M. V. Gorkunov3

  • 1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XH, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • 2Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
  • 3Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Federal Scientific Research Centre “Crystallography and Photonics”, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119333 Moscow, Russia

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Issue

Vol. 100, Iss. 4 — October 2019

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