Herein, we employed in situ small-angle neutron
scattering (SANS) and neutron reflectivity (NR) to elucidate the importance
of polymer–solvent interactions on morphology development during
solvent vapor annealing (SVA) of block polymer (BP) thin films. Judicious
choice of nanostructure orientation (parallel to the substrate) permitted
measurement of the preferential segregation of solvent (d
6-benzene) into our cylinder-forming poly(styrene-b-isoprene-b-styrene) (SIS) films. A distinguishing
feature of this work is the simultaneous tracking of nanostructure
evolution and solvent segregation, enabled through the combination
of SANS (in-plane features), NR (out-of-plane features), and solvent
deuteration, which directly related polymer–solvent interactions
to morphology reorganization. We found that at higher d
6-benzene partial pressures (p/p
sat) the number of cylinder layers (domains)
increased or decreased to accommodate overall film thickness changes
upon swelling/deswelling, while the SIS domain spacing remained nearly
constant. However, at lower p/p
sat values, the SIS domain spacing changed to accommodate similar
swelling/deswelling variations, while the number of layers remained
invariant. The threshold for this p/p
sat transition was directly related to plasticization
of the polystyrene (PS) block, which has significant implications
on the size of the domains, degree of ordering, and interfacial roughness.
Thus, by linking polymer–solvent interactions to morphology
evolution, we have developed an improved understanding of the interplay
between the kinetic and thermodynamic effects that can direct the
self-assembly and through-film periodicity of nanostructured thin
films.