Thermoreversible, epitaxial fcc ⇆ bcc transitions in block copolymer solutions -: art. no. 215505

Uncharged block copolymer micelles display thermoreversible transitions between close-packed and bcc lattices for a range of concentration, solvent selectivity, and copolymer composition. Using small-angle x-ray scattering on shear-oriented solutions, highly aligned fcc crystals are seen to transform epitaxially to bcc crystals, with fcc/bcc orientational relationships that are well established in martensitic transformations in metals. The transition is driven by decreasing solvent selectivity with increasing temperature, inducing solvent penetration of the micellar core.