Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Daniel Patrick Sweat

Padma Gopalan

Myungwoong Kim

Xiang Yu

Eungnak Han

Jonathan Woosun Choi

Block copolymers for use in block copolymer lithography, self-assembled films of the block copolymers and methods for polymerizing the block copolymers are provided. The block copolymers are characterized by high Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (&#x3c7;). The block copolymers can be polymerized from protected hydroxystyrene monomers or from tert-butyl styrene and 2-vinylpyridine monomers.

Block copolymers with high flory-huggins interaction parameters for block copolymer lithography

Crosslinkable random copolymers comprising atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiators and crosslinked copolymer films formed from the copolymers are provided. The random copolymers, which are polymerized from one or more alkyl halide functional inimers and one or more monomers having a crosslinkable functionality, are characterized by pendant ATRP initiating groups and pendant crosslinkable groups.

Methods of making crosslinked copolymer films from inimer-containing random copolymers

Inimer-containing random copolymers and crosslinked copolymer films for dense polymer brush growth

Block copolymers with high Flory-Huggins interaction parameters for block copolymer lithography

Block copolymer-based mask structures for the growth of patterned polymer brushes via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) are provided. Also provided are methods of making the mask structures and methods of using the mask structures to grow patterned polymer brushes. The mask structures comprise a substrate having a surface, a neutral layer comprising a crosslinked copolymer film disposed on the surface of the substrate and a domain-forming block copolymer film disposed on the crosslinked copolymer film. The crosslinked copolymer film comprises crosslinked random copolymer chains having pendant alkyl halide functional groups that are capable of acting as ATRP initiating sites.

Block copolymer-based mask structures for the growth of nanopatterned polymer brushes

Polymer films comprising crosslinked random copolymers and methods for making the films are provided. Also provided are polymer films comprising random copolymers that are covalently linked to an underlying substrate. The polymer films can be incorporated into structures in which the films are employed as surface-modifying layers for domain-forming block copolymers and the structures can be used for pattern transfer applications via block copolymer lithography. The crosslinks between the random copolymer chains in the polymer films or the links between the random copolymer chains and the substrate surface are characterized in that they can be cleaved under relatively mild conditions.

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Madison, WI, United States of America

Daniel Patrick Sweat