Trapped Topologies in Semiflexible Diblock Copolymer Melts

Using dissipative particle dynamics simulations, we document the long-time trapping of a single bicontinuous, disordered network phase for a semiflexible diblock copolymer with a persistence length commensurate with the block contour length.

The equilibrium lamellar phase is recovered upon subsequent thermal cycling near the equilibrium order–disorder condition. These insights suggest that a disordered network phase could be realized via the controlled cooling of a bottlebrush diblock copolymer melt possessing a modest backbone degree of polymerization.