Design and Fabrication of Janus Nanoparticles for Interfacial Distribution in Block Copolymers

Hybrid composites with highly ordered structures show promise for applications in various fields and thus there is great interest in their fabrication. In this context, Janus nanoparticles (JNPs) are synthesized with the aim of further incorporating them into polystyreneblock- poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) block copolymers to fabricate hybrid composites. It is observed that the dispersed JNPs are located at the boundary of the two morphological phases in PS-b-P2VP. The orientation of the lamellar structure in the bottom and free surface region of the block copolymer (BCP) composites shows a distinct difference as the composition of the JNPs is adjusted. The processing conditions of the nanoparticle/BCP composites are found to play an important role in achieving the desired structures.