Effect of surface-hydroxylated CdS nanoparticles on the morphological transformation of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) thin films

Abstract

Polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) block copolymer thin films, in which CdS clusters have been sequestered into the PEO domains of the SEO block copolymers, are found to induce the morphological transformation of PEO from cylinders to spheres, as shown by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This transformation is caused by the presence of hydrogen-bonding interactions between surface-hydroxylated CdS and PEO, as confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies.