Shear-induced slippage of the self-assembly of crown ether-centered two-armed copolymers

Crown ether-centered two-armed polymers, i.e., polystyrene-dibenzo-18-crown-6-polystyrene (PSCS) and poly(methyl methacrylate)-dibenzo-18-crown-6-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMCM), were designed to self-assemble in a proposed manner directed by the specific affinity between the polar crown ether rings. When spin coated onto a silicon wafer surface, macroporous films were obtained. In contrast, the proposed assemblies were strongly adsorbed on a highly polar mica surface, looking like porous islands near the spin center. At areas far from the spin center, these islands slipped to form terrace islands under the huge shear by the centrifugal force. The formation of the porous islands and terrace islands provide further evidence to the proposed assembling of the two-armed polymers.