Single nanoparticle localization in the perforated lamellar phase of self-assembled block copolymer driven by entropy minimization

Although precisely controlled microdomains of block copolymers (BCP) provide an excellent guiding matrix for multiple nanoparticles (NPs) to be controllably segregated into a desired polymer block, localization and positioning of individual NPs have not been demonstrated. Here, we report a unique one-to-one positioning phenomenon of guest Au NPs in the host BCP microdomains; each of polystyrene-functionalized Au NPs is embedded within the perforation domain of hexagonally perforated lamellar (HPL) morphology of poly(dimethylsiloxane-b-styrene) BCP. The local minimization of free energy achieved by the placement of Au NPs into the center of the perforation domain is theoretically supported by the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) simulation. We propose a novel design principle for more precisely controllable nanocomposites by developing a new route of NP arrangement within a polymer matrix.