Self-Assembling Polymer Nanocomposites Based on Symmetric Diblock Copolymers: Mesoscopic Modeling

A polymer nanocomposite based on a symmetrical AB diblock copolymer filled with planar nanoparticles (NPs) has been studied by the dissipative particle dynamics method. The developed model predicts that NPs can reduce the threshold of thermodynamic incompatibility of blocks A and B, above which microphase separation of the polymer matrix occurs to give a lamellar phase. Depending on the features of the polymer/NP interaction, two types of stable orientations of the NP plane are formed: along and across the lamellar domains. This effect can be used to control the distribution of NPs in multiphase polymeric materials.