Synthesis and initial characterization of PS-PMMA blend film for annealing induced phase mixing study

We report the initial characterization results of spin coated films prepared by blending the optimized concentration of 10 weight % polystyrene in Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) followed by spin coating on glass. The films are highly transparent with clear evidence of phase separation induced patterning which is a novel observation as this patterning is generally induced when the films are annealed. In contrast, annealing of our film shows mixing of the layers without any bond breakage, resulting in a smooth layer with no presence of patterns anymore.We report the initial characterization results of spin coated films prepared by blending the optimized concentration of 10 weight % polystyrene in Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) followed by spin coating on glass. The films are highly transparent with clear evidence of phase separation induced patterning which is a novel observation as this patterning is generally induced when the films are annealed. In contrast, annealing of our film shows mixing of the layers without any bond breakage, resulting in a smooth layer with no presence of patterns anymore.