Synthesis and Self-Assembly of ABn Miktoarm Star Polymers

The stability of tetrahedrally close-packed (TCP) phases in block copolymer melts is predicted by theory to depend on molecular architecture, yet no experimental studies to date have probed its effect. Motivated by this open question, here we report an efficient synthesis of asymmetric AB(n) miktoarm star polymers using functionalized sugars as cores for orthogonal grafting-from block copolymerization. A combination of ring-opening and atom transfer radical polymerization produced model low dispersity materials comprising a single A = poly(lactide) (L) and multiple B = poly(dodecyl acrylate) (D) arms that amplify conformational asymmetry through two concerted effects: the mikto architecture and disparate block statistical segment lengths. Analyzing the self-assembly of LD2 and LD3 samples resulted in the discovery of two TCP phases, sigma and A15, that remained stable to significantly higher A-block volume fractions as the number of B arms increased. These results experimentally establish the importance of conformational asymmetry and molecular architecture as powerful design tools for the self-assembly of block copolymers into nonclassical phases.