The structure of a polymer blend in a volume grating

Holographic polymerization (H-P) has been used to fabricate polymer-dispersed liquid crystals, block copolymers and pattern inert nanoparticles. In this article, one-dimensional grating structures of Norland resin and a polymer blend were achieved using the H-P technique. A reflection grating structure known as a Bragg reflector (BR) was fabricated. The hierarchical structure and morphology of the BR were studied using synchrotron X-ray, polarized light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The structure of the BR containing a polymer blend displayed lamellae structures formed with periodicity of 200 nm. Polycaprolactone and Poly(L-lactide) crystals were found to be confined in ~ 60 nm thick layers in the BR. The polymer chains tended to orient themselves parallel to the grating when the two polymers where blended together. The phase separation and structure of the polymer blend inside the H-P grating could be of great interest for multifunctional optical sensors or devices.