Tailoring block copolymer nanoporous thin films with acetic acid as a small guest molecule

Block copolymers offer the fabrication of mesoporous thin films with distinct nanoscale structural features. In this contribution, we present the use of acetic acid (CH3COOH) as a low-molecular-weight guest molecule to tune the supramolecular assembly of poly[styrene-block-(4-vinylpyridine)] (PS-b-P4VP), offering a versatile and straightforward method to obtain tailored nanostructured films with controlled topography and pore size. Spin-coating toluene solutions of PS-b-P4VP, with a variable amount of CH3COOH, leads to micellar thin films, where the micelles contain the carboxylic acid as a guest molecule. The size can be conveniently modified in these films (from 48 to 75 nm) by varying the amount of organic acid in the starting solutions. Subsequent surface reconstruction of micellar films using ethanol leads to ring-shaped copolymer nanoporous films with modulated diameter. Controlling the micelle reconstruction process, cylindrical porous films are also obtained. Interestingly, changing the type of aliphatic carboxylic acid leads to a modification of the observed film morphology from micelles to out-of-plane P4VP cylinders (or lamellae) in a PS matrix. (c) 2019 Society of Chemical Industry