Non-native block copolymer nano-structures

We present emerging strategies for constructing three-dimensional nanostructures whose shapes and symmetries go beyond those of the bulk equilibrium block copolymer phase diagram. Photo-thermal methods can be used to control block copolymer ordering; ordered layers can be stacked to yield new lattice symmetries. This multi-layered ordering strategy can also be performed in a responsive mode, where each self-assembled layer templates the ones that follow. Finally, we describe how blending allows the self-assembling film morphology itself to be responsive to underlying guide patterns. Taken together, these new motifs represent a toolbox for constructing 3D nanostructures with symmetries and complexity far beyond the conventional self-assembled morphologies.