Tailoring the structure of polymer brushes through copolymer architecture

Polymers tethered by one end onto a solid surface are referred to as polymer 'brushes'. We consider brushes composed of copolymers that contain both A and B monomers. The A monomers are compatible with the surrounding solvent, while the B sites are solvent-incompatible. The solvent incompatibility causes the B sites to associate into domains or clusters within the layer. We use Monte Carlo computer simulations and self-consistent field calculations to determine the effect of copolymer architecture on the structure of the polymer brush. In particular, we alter the copolymer sequence distribution (the arrangement of the A and B monomers along the length of the chain) and determine how both the vertical and lateral morphology of the brush are effected by these variations. The results provide guidelines for controlling the size and shape of the B domains, and consequently, the morphology of the tethered layer.