Effect of neutral solvent on the phase behavior of polystyrene-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) copolymers

The effects of a neutral solvent of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) on the phase behavior of symmetric polystyrene-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate) copolymers (PS-b-PnBMA) were assessed herein. Closed-loop phase behavior with a lower disorder-to-order transition (LDOT) and an upper order-to-disorder transition (UODT) was observed for PS-b-PnBMA/DOP solution when the quantity of DOP was carefully controlled. When the molecular weight of PS-b-PnBMA became larger, the LDOT did not appreciably change at smaller quantities of DOP. With larger quantities of DOP, the reduction in the UODT is greater than the increase in the LDOT. This behavior is discussed in accordance with a molecular theory predicated on a compressible random-phase approximation.