ADSORPTION OF TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS ON ROUGH SURFACES

We examine the adsorption of ABA triblocks in solution onto a rough, corrugated surface. The solution is assumed to be a good solvent for the B block and a bad solvent for the A segments. Solvent incompatibility drives the A blocks to adsorb onto the nearest interface. We find that, under favorable conditions, the A moieties bind to the ridges of the bumpy surface and the B segments span the wells that lie between two ridges. Consequently, the adsorption of triblocks acts to smooth or planarize a rough surface. We discuss how chain length and the value of XBS, the interaction energy between the B block and the surface, affect the efficiency of this process. © 1990, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.