Hole nucleation in free-standing polymer membranes : the effects of varying molecular architecture

Free-standing liquid films are generally unstable, failing whenever a hole or pore is created. The same is true of a polymer melt, although the details of the instability can be more complex and dependent on molecular architecture. Here, we compare the nucleation of holes in homopolymer films and films made from diblock co-polymers that can order into a cylindrical or lamellar phase. The different degrees of internal order (no long-range order, …