Periodic organic-organometallic microdomain structures in poly(styrene-block-ferrocenyldimethylsilane) copolymers and blends with corresponding homopolymers

A series of poly(styrene-block-ferrocenyldimethylsilane) copolymers (SF) wi th different relative molar masses of the blocks were prepared by sequentia l anionic polymerization. The bulk morphology of these polymers, studied by TEM and SAXS, showed well-ordered lamellar and cylindrical domains as well as disordered micellar structures. Temperature-dependent rheological measu rements exhibited an order-disorder transition for SF 17/8 (the numbers ref er to the relative molar masses in 10(3) g/mol) between 170 and 180 degrees C, and an order-order transition for SF 9/19 between 190 and 200 degrees C . The morphologies of binary blends of the diblocks with homopolymer were a lso investigated. In the blends the molar mass of the homopolymer was alway s less than the molar mass of the matching block. Ordered spheres on a bce lattice and double-gyroid morphology were observed for the blends. The doub le-gyroid morphology was found only in F-rich diblock/homopolymer systems. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.