The structure and phase behaviour of bilayer membranes self-assembled from rod–coil diblock copolymers are studied using the self-consistent field theory, focusing on the occurrence and relative stability of liquid crystalline phases induced by the geometric shape and orientational interaction of the rod-blocks. A variety of liquid crystalline bilayers, corresponding to the smectic phases in bulk systems, are predicted to occur as equilibrium phases of the system. The ordered morphologies and phase behaviour of the system are analyzed. Phase diagrams of the self-assembled bilayers are constructed. The theoretical results provide an understanding of the formation mechanisms of these intricate phases.

The mechanical response and shape of self-assembled bilayer membranes depend crucially on their elastic properties. Most of the studies focused on the elastic properties of fluid membranes, despite the ubiquitous presence of membranes with liquid-crystalline order. Here the elastic properties of liquid-crystalline bilayers self-assembled from diblock copolymers composed of a semiflexible block are studied theoretically. Specifically, the self-consistent field theory (SCFT) is applied to a model system composed of semiflexible–flexible diblock copolymers dissolved in flexible homopolymers that act as solvents. The free energy of self-assembled tensionless bilayer membranes in three different geometries, i.e. planar, cylindrical and spherical, is obtained by solving the SCFT equations using a hybrid method, in which the orientation-dependent functions are treated using the spherical harmonics, whereas the position-dependent operators are treated using the compact difference schemes. The bending modulus κ_M and Gaussian modulus κ_G of the bilayer are extracted from the free energies. The effects of the molecular parameters of the system, such as the chain rigidity and the orientational interaction, are systematically examined.

Bilayer membranes self-assembled from amphiphilic molecules are ubiquitous in biological and soft matter systems. The elastic properties of bilayer membranes are essential in determining the shape and structure of bilayers. A novel method to calculate the elastic moduli of the self-assembled bilayers within the framework of the self-consistent field theory is developed based on an asymptotic expansion of the order parameters in terms of the bilayer curvature. In particular, the asymptotic expansion method is used to derive analytic expressions of the elastic moduli, which allows us to design more efficient numerical schemes. The efficiency of the proposed method is illustrated by a model system composed of flexible amphiphilic chains dissolved in hydrophilic polymeric solvents.

Amphiphilic polymers self-assembly mimics phospholipid-cholesterol bilayer membranes.