Structure of polymer micelles close to the solid interface - A grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering study

Block copolymers are widely used in industry. For scientific interests their aqueous solutions offer a model system for the investigation of crystallisation as the macromolecules agglomerate for elevated concentrations into micelles, which crystallise when a critical volume fraction is reached. We report on grazing incidence small angle neutron scattering (GISANS) or near surface small angle neutron scattering (NS-SANS) as an experimental tool to investigate the micelle crystallisation close to interfaces with different chemical termination. We find that in general crystallization is suppressed at a repulsive surface and favoured at an attractive one. Furthermore we show that the crystallization close the interface can be controlled by the micelle stability, resulting from the different composition and length of the monomers. The effect of the interface is found more important for a high micelle stability, whereas for a low stability it is shadowed by adsorbed monomers.