Figure 4.

SCF/DFT calculations for preferential nanoparticles dispersed in the symmetric diblock copolymer matrix. (a) Spatial distribution of nanoparticles in different sizes and concentrations: large and concentrated (left), large and dilute (middle), small and concentrated (right). (b) Entropy contribution as a function of density profile of nanoparticle, where large particles (red line) self-assemble while small particles (black line) don’t, from ref. [28]. Reprinted with permission from AAAS. (c) Enthalpy, conformational (steric) entropy, and translational entropy contribution to free energy as a function of reduced particle size R₂/R₁. Reprinted with permission from ref. [54] Copyright 2002 by the American Physical Society.