Single crystals of crystalline block copolymers formed in <i>n</i>‐hexanol and methanol/DMF solutions: A comparative study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lamellar single crystals of poly(ɛ‐caprolactone) (PCL)‐based crystalline/liquid‐crystalline block copolymer (BCP) were prepared from two methods: solution crystallization in n ‐hexanol as well as addition of methanol dropwise to BCP/DMF solution. The crystalline morphologies of PCL single crystals prepared at different temperatures were investigated. It was observed that well‐developed single crystals were formed in n ‐hexanol at high crystallization temperatures, while low crystallization temperatures favored to fabricate well‐developed nanosheets in methanol/DMF. Annealing at the melting temperature of single crystals yielded the crystalline seeds and unimers in n ‐hexanol, while it formed spherical micelles in methanol/DMF system. As a result, the size of single crystals in n ‐hexanol could be tuned by addition of different ratios of unimer/seed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 45089.