Copolymers at surfaces and interfaces

Abstract

Copolymers have grown in importance owing to their unique interfacial activity. Recently, significant advances have been made in understanding the influence of the architecture of the copolymer chain on its interfacial activity and on the use of chemical reactions to form copolymers in situ at interfaces. The unique microstructures of copolymers have also led to novel uses of block copolymers for pattern formation on surfaces. Finally, by confinement between two hard walls and by variation of the interfacial interactions, control over the orientation of the microdomain structure of copolymers is being achieved.