Self-assembly in well-defined block copolymers as a route to novel nanostructured sp2 carbon materials

This presentation describes two recently developed approaches to electrically active sp² carbon materials ("π cluster materials") utilizing self-assembly in well-defined block copolymers: i) control of nanostructure in block copolymers of regioregular poly(alkylthiophenes) and ii) synthesis of nanostructured carbon materials through pyrolysis of self-assembled block copolymer precursors containing polyacrylonitrile. The role of copolymer composition and processing conditions in determining the nanostructure as well as some potential applications of resulting materials are discussed.