Preparation of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane‐containing block copolymer with well‐controlled stereoregularity

Abstract

ABSTRACT Preparation of functional domains with a spacing of 10 nm is a benchmark set to fabricate next‐generation electronic devices. Organic–inorganic block copolymers form well‐ordered microphase separations with very small domain sizes. The design and preparation of a novel block copolymer consisting of syndiotactic polymethyl methacrylate ( st ‐PMMA) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)‐functionalized polymethacrylate, designated as st ‐PMMA‐ b ‐PMAPOSS, which can recognize functional molecules, are reported. The st ‐PMMA segments form a helical structure and encapsulate C 60 in the helical nanocavity, leading to the formation of an inclusion complex. Although the ordering of the domains is not high, C 60 domains that are in a quasi‐equilibrium state, with about 10‐nm domain spacings, are generated using st ‐PMMA‐ b ‐PMAPOSS that can recognize functional molecules. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2181–2189