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Surface Energy and Morphology of Blend Films of Polystyrene and Polybutadiene

Lookup NU author(s): Mai Ibrahim, Dr Marloes Peeters, Dr Matthew GermanORCiD, Tracey DaveyORCiD, Dr Jake Sheriff, Professor Mark GeogheganORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

© 2025 The Author(s). Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.Ion beam and surface analysis complemented with optical and electron microscopy are used to analyze the structure of spin-coated films of blends of polystyrene and polybutadiene. Both polystyrene and polybutadiene preferentially segregate to the surface depending on the molar mass of the blend, but only the smallest polystyrene chains dominate surface-enriched layers. Contact angle experiments reveal that the surface energy of the films is dominated by film morphology rather than the surface energy of the individual components. It is concluded that polymer chain mobility in the toluene solvent during spin casting is an important factor in controlling the surface structure.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Ibrahim MSY, Al-Hazmi FE, Peeters M, German MJ, Crapnell RD, Davey T, Sheriff J, Sharpe MK, McAleese CD, Couture P, Geoghegan M

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics

Year: 2025

Volume: 226

Issue: 17

Print publication date: 05/09/2025

Online publication date: 22/06/2025

Acceptance date: 02/04/2018

Date deposited: 10/07/2025

ISSN (print): 1022-1352

ISSN (electronic): 1521-3935

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc

URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/macp.202500126

DOI: 10.1002/macp.202500126

Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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