Structure and flow behaviour of block copolymers

This review focuses on the effect of flow fields on the orientation of block copolymer nanostructures in the melt and in solution. In particular, the alignment induced by strong shear fields or large extensional flows applied to model diblock and triblock copolymers is considered. The distinct orientation states of lamellar, hexagonal-packed cylinder, cubic micellar and bicontinuous cubic structures under different deformation conditions are summarized and the mechanisms of orientation are discussed.