Mesoscale simulation on patterned core–shell nanosphere model for amphiphilic block copolymer

Self-assembly of ABA triblock copolymer confined in concentric-spherical nanopores was studied using MesoDyn simulation. Our calculation shows that in this confined geometry a zoo of exotic structures can be formed. These structures include perforated vesicle like carbon fullerene, strip pattern and hybrid structure. Moreover, the dependence of the chain conformation on the volume fraction, the interactions between blocks and the diameter of the spherical pore are also investigated. The results of these simulations can be used to predict the amphiphilic triblock copolymer morphologies confined in concentric-spherical nanopores and should be helpful in designing polymeric nanomaterials in future.