Frank-Kasper Phases Identified in PDMS-b-PTFEA Copolymers with High Conformational Asymmetry

In the search for the formation of Frank-Kasper phases from diblock copolymer self-assembly, a series of compositionally asymmetric poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-poly(2,2,2-triflouroethyl acrylate)s (PDMS-b-PTFEAs) are synthesized to produce PDMS-rich phases with PDMS volume fractions (f(PDMS)) ranging from 0.746 to 0.869. As determined by small-angle X-ray scattering analysis, the Frank-Kasper sigma and C14 phases are identified at f(PDMS) = 0.796 and 0.851, respectively, plausibly due to high conformational asymmetry (epsilon approximate to 2.20) between the two blocks. Intriguingly, the sigma phase develops during heating from a short-range liquid-like packing (LLP) state, whereas the C14 phase is achieved at room temperature, which are both followed by a disordering at higher temperatures. Based on thermal experiments from a super cooled disordered state, the findings further provide compelling evidence of an LLP-hexagonally packed cylinder-sigma transition and a direct pathway to the C14 phase during heating from an LLP state.