Changes
in the Curie transition temperature of nanoconfined poly(vinylidene
fluoride–trifluoroethylene) P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers can have
a severe impact on the electroactive behavior and the application
range of these materials. Therefore, the origin of the change in the
Curie transition temperature requires a profound understanding. In
this work, block copolymer self-assembly into a spherical morphology
proves to be a viable method to effectively confine P(VDF-TrFE) in
three dimensions for studying the effect of nanoconfinement on the
Curie transition. Using differential scanning calorimetry and wide-angle
X-ray scattering, easily accessible experimental techniques, we follow
the crystalline phase transitions, showing that confining P(VDF-TrFE)
in a nonpolar polystyrene (PS) or poly(4-tert-butoxystyrene)
(PtBOS) matrix results in an increase of the Curie
transition upon cooling and heating. However, when a more polar matrix
is used to nanoconfine P(VDF-TrFE), the Curie transition temperature
is drastically reduced due to surface effects.
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