Nematic Ordering of Anisotropic Nanoparticles in Block Copolymers

Block copolymer melts have been previously used to control the position and alignment of anisotropic nanoparticles. In this work, 2D and 3D mesoscopic simulations are used to explore the phase behavior of block copolymer/nanoparticle systems. The method combines a time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau for the polymer and Brownian dynamics for the anisotropic nanoparticles. Rhomboidal and spheroidal shaped particles are simulated in two and three dimensions, respectively. It is found that the nanoparticle nematic order aligned by the block copolymer domains enhances the lamellar phase of the block copolymer, due to an anisotropy-driven phase transition. Additionally, anisotropic nanoparticles within circular-forming block copolymer leads to a competition between the nematic colloidal ordering and the hexagonally ordered mesophase. At large concentrations, the nematic order dominates, deforming the block copolymer mesophase.