Combined Mesoscale/Experimental Study of Selective Placement of Magnetic Nanoparticles in Diblock Copolymer Films via Solvent Vapor Annealing

We present a combined theoretical/experimental study to investigate the effect of selective solvent vapor annealing treatment on the obtainment of highly ordered morphologies of symmetric poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) diblock copolymer (PS-b-PMMA DBC) films loaded with compatibilized magnetic (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (NPs). Different amounts of NPs were considered (1, 2, and 5 wt %) to study the effect of the inorganic content on the final properties of Fe3O4/PS-b-PMMA films. A precise control of the DBC nanostructure could be obtained by very simple and cost-effective fabrication steps, compatible with current industrial processes. Moreover, the modified NPs could be selectively placed into the PMMA domains of the DBC up to NP concentration of 5 wt % while preserving the corresponding DBC lamellar morphology.