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Block copolymers (BCPs) have garnered considerable interest due to their ability to form microphase-separated structures suitable for nanofabrication. For these applications, it is critical to achieve both sufficient etch selectivity and a small domain size. To meet both requirements concurrently, we propose the use of oligosaccharide and oligodimethylsiloxane as hydrophilic and etch-resistant hydrophobic inorganic blocks, respectively, to build up a novel BCP system, i.e., carbohydrate-inorganic hybrid BCP. The carbohydrate-inorganic hybrid BCPs were synthesized via a click reaction between oligodimethylsiloxane with an azido group at each chain end and propargyl-functionalized maltooligosaccharide (consisting of one, two, and three glucose units). In the bulk state, small-angle X-ray scattering revealed that these BCPs microphase separated into gyroid, asymmetric lamellar, and symmetric lamellar structures with domain-spacing ranging from 5.0 to 5.9 nm depending on the volume fraction. Additionally, we investigated microphase-separated structures in the thin film state and discovered that the BCP with the most asymmetric composition formed an ultrafine and highly oriented gyroid structure as well as in the bulk state. After reactive ion etching, the gyroid thin film was transformed into a nanoporous-structured gyroid SiO2 material, demonstrating the material's promising potential as nanotemplates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Thermoresponsive block polyglycidylethers are expected to be used as biomaterials. • MD simulations of two polymer chains have been employed to understand the structural transition of thermoresponsive polymers and interpolymer arrangements. Block copolymers are expected to be applied in a wide variety of fields due to the property of self-assembly. Our group has reported that poly(glycidyl ether) block copolymers exhibited complex temperature response in aqueous solution. In this study, we investigated the two chains of the block copolymer structure and configurations at different temperatures by using MD simulation. The results showed that at low temperatures, the polymer structure is linear and can form micelles, but above a certain temperature, the polymer structure changes to a U-shape and the micelle structure would be destroyed, which is responsible for the complex temperature response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]