Microphase Separation of a Diblock Copolymer Dispersed in Nanorod Arrays Grafted on a Plate: A Monte Carlo Study

The microstructure of a diblock copolymer dispersed in nanorod arrays grafted on a plate are investigated via annealing MC simulation. The confinement in nanorod arrays provides a complex confined space which leads to complicated microphase separation structures. Different morphologies of top and bottom of the film in the nanorod arrays are observed by varying the inducing height of nanorod and its grafting density in the bottom. Due to a short inducing range by the nanorods, the top structures are therefore mainly dominated by the competition between the absolute height of off-induced layer on the top and the nature of block copolymer itself; while the bottom structures are affected by the symmetry of block copolymer and the gap among rods.