Emergence and Stability of Helical Superstructures in ABC Triblock Copolymers

The emergence and stability of superstructured cylindrical phases in frustrated ABC linear triblock copolymers are investigated by the self-consistent field theory. Our results reveal that the complex single/double/triple helices-on-cylinder phases are formed when the straight cylinders-on-cylinder and rings-on-cylinder phases are frustrated due to packing constraints. A free energy comparison indicates that the double and triple helical phases …