Self‐Consistent Field Theory of Self‐Assembling Multiblock Copolymers

One of the most successful theoretical frameworks for inhomogeneous polymeric systems, such as block copolymers, is the self‐consistent field theory (SCFT). This chapter reviews various approaches to solving the SCFT equations, emphasizing applications to the study of the self‐assembly of multiblock copolymers. It talks about a review of the recent progress in the study of the self‐assembly of multiblock copolymers, alongside some specific details of the numerical techniques. The chapter illustrates application of the pseudo‐spectral method with the special initialization scheme to the study of the phase behavior of multiblock copolymers with examples. The spectral method has been extended to a generic reciprocal‐space method by replacing the symmetry‐determined basis functions with the complete set of plane waves. Alternatively, the real‐space method with random initial conditions provides a useful addition to the methods for the discovery of new structures. The pseudo‐spectral method combines the advantages of the real‐space and reciprocal‐space methods.