Mesoscale Block Copolymer Ribbons

Mesoscale polymer ribbons combine nanoscale thickness with macroscale length, providing unique opportunities to mimic mesoscale biological organization and dynamics. In these systems, elasticity, interfacial forces, and geometry all play important roles in controlling shape transformations and the properties of the final assembled structures. Here, we discuss recent work focused on preparing highly adaptable mesoscale ribbons from block copolymers in order to provide multiscale, multifunctional control of properties and shape transformation kinematics. Polystyrene-block-polybutadiene (PS-b-PBd) ribbons were fabricated, and the relative block volume fractions were varied to investigate the influence of elasticity and interfacial forces on ribbon formation and properties. The preserved double bonds allowed for facile photopatterning, enabling the introduction of site-specific mechanical properties to aid active control of specific transformation kinematics. The hierarchical organization of block copolymer-based mesoscale ribbons provides key control parameters for mimicking and understanding active polymer systems observed in nature.