Abstract:
Dissipative particle dynamics(DPD) method was applied to simulate the selfassembly behaviors of PEO-PPO-PEO
triblock copolymer in ethanol solution. The impact of volume fraction and PEO chain length on its mesoscopic morphology were
investigated. In the ethanol solution with φF88=20%, the micelle changed from balanced disperse phase to regular transient
phase as time went. Finally, a balanced cylindrical aggregate was formed using PEO as the core, PPO as the shell. Different
kinds of mesoscopic aggregation types were observed with the change of volume fraction and the size of PEO chain length, for
example like: spherical, cylindrical, threedimensional network, lamellar and perforatedlike structure. Results show that
DPD method is an effective tool to study the mechanism of selfassembly of triblock copolymer and the formation of
mesoscopic structure. It also plays important significance on the synthesis of special materials with desired properties.