Effect of surface field on the morphology of a symmetric diblock copolymer under cylindrical confinement.

We have used lattice Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the molecular assembly of symmetric diblock copolymer melts within cylindrical nanochannels. We studied the effect that the surface field has on the copolymer morphology in three cylinders having different diameters. Upon varying the strength of the surface field, we observed a variety of morphologies, including stacked-disk, single-helix, catenoid-cylinder, gyroidal, stacked-circle, and concentric cylindrical barrel structures. The results of these simulations should be helpful when designing polymeric nanomaterials confined in cylindrical nanochannels.

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