Controlled synthesis of ABCA' tetrablock terpolymers

Abstract Polystyrene- block -polyisoprene- block -polylactide- block -polystyrene tetrablock terpolymers were synthesized via sequential anionic, ring-opening, and reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerizations. The optimized synthesis of these ABCA' tetrablock terpolymers yields polymers with low molar mass dispersity and allowed for straightforward and independent tuning of the M n for each block. We determined that careful processing of these polymers was necessary to avoid deleterious side reactions during solvent casting or annealing. Preliminary microscopy data demonstrated the ability of these polymers to form non-spherical domains of the B and C blocks. The 26 tetrablock terpolymers synthesized will enable detailed studies of the ABCA' morphological map.