M. Stamm et Jr. Dorgan, ADSORPTION AND THIN-FILM FORMATION OF DIBLOCK AND TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS, Colloids and surfaces. A, Physicochemical and engineering aspects, 86, 1994, pp. 143-153
The adsorption of diblock and triblock copolymers of styrene and ethyl
ene oxide, P(S-b-EO), from dilute solution is studied by ellipsometry.
The copolymers consist of short poly(ethylene oxide) blocks which ads
orb onto a silicon wafer and longer polystyrene blocks which do not ad
sorb on the substrate under the conditions employed, but dangle in sol
ution. Surface coverage is monitored as a function of time, and differ
ent time regimes are resolved. The equilibrium surface coverage is dis
cussed with respect to scaling models where the ratio of the block len
gths determines the adsorption behaviour. Also, dry films of adsorbed
copolymers are analysed by ellipsometry and X-ray reflectometry.