Chemistry Commons^™

Impact Of Macromolecular Design On Self-Assembly Properties Of Block Copolymers: Effect Of Tunable Chain Flexibility And Chain Topology, Kamlesh Ramesh Bornani

Doctoral Dissertations

The generation of well-ordered complex structures from constituent block copolymeric building blocks by the spontaneous process of self-assembly is useful in various technologies. The well-defined 3D structures are dictated by complex energetic interplays and their shape is controllable by both preparative conditions and macromolecular design. This dissertation work aims at exploring the effect of chain flexibility and chain topology design changes on phase behavior of block copolymers in solution. Further, we exploit the tunable flexibility of the semiflexible polymers in studying dispersion and controlling macroscale thermal properties in polymer nanocomposites.

The experimental design is based on two model systems: The …

Photocleavable Junctions In Complex Polymer Architectures And Photoetchable Thermoplastics, Elizabeth Surles Sterner

Doctoral Dissertations

Polymer materials have become important tools in nanomanufacturing due to their facile processing and ready attainment of the necessary feature sizes. The development of cleavable junctions has led to advances in the production of polymer nanotemplates. Photocleavage strategies have come to the forefront of the field because photons, as a cleavage stimulus, do not have the mass-transport limitations of chemical methods, and provide for targeted two- and three-dimensional feature control. This dissertation presents a method for producing photocleavable materials by one-pot copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne “click” chemistry (CuAAC), activator regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) and activated ester …