Block Copolymers: Synthesis, Self-Assembly, and Applications

Research on block copolymers (BCPs) has played a critical role in the development of polymer chemistry, with numerous pivotal contributions that have advanced our ability to prepare, characterize, theoretically model, and technologically exploit this class of materials in a myriad of ways in the fields of chemistry, physics, material sciences, and biological and medical sciences. The breathtaking progress has been driven by the advancement in experimental techniques enabling the synthesis and characterization of a wide range of block copolymers with tailored composition, architectures, and properties. In this review, we briefly discussed the recent progress in BCP synthesis, followed by a discussion of the fundamentals of self-assembly of BCPs along with their applications.