Phase behavior of graft copolymers in concentrated solution

Abstract

The phase behavior of graft copolymers dissolved in a graft-selective solvent was studied by using self-consistent field theory. The effects of polymer concentration and molecular architecture, i.e., the number of junctions and the position of the first junction on the phase behavior were investigated. Phase diagrams were mapped out according to the calculation results. The detailed studies on the microstructures revealed that the graft copolymers can have either a local crosslinked structure or a global crosslinked structure, yielding a vital material for reversible physical gels. In addition, the density distributions and bridging fractions were calculated to understand the filling of solvents and packing of graft copolymers in the ordered structures of the gels. The understanding of the microstructures of graft copolymers in concentrated solution provides useful information for designing high-performance gels.