Stability of\nFrank–Kasper Phases in AB<sub><i>n</i></sub> Miktoarm\nStar Polymers with Dispersity in <i>n</i>: Simulations and\nExperiments

Miktoarm\nstar polymers with two or more blocks connected at a common\njunction are known to stabilize Frank–Kasper phases such as\nσ and A15 over wide regions of phase space due to arm-number\nasymmetry. To date, studies on AB<sub><i>n</i></sub> miktoarm\nstars in this context have focused on well-defined materials with\na precise number of A and B arms. Here, using a combination of self-consistent\nfield theory simulations and experiments, we demonstrate that mixtures\nof AB<sub><i>n</i></sub> miktoarm stars with dispersity\nin the number of B arms per molecule (<i>n</i>) similarly\nstabilize σ and A15. This insight highlights the utility of\na synthetic technique known as μSTAR (miktoarm synthesis by\ntermination after ring-opening metathesis polymerization) that simplifies\nthe synthesis of miktoarm star polymers but inherently produces a\nmixture of AB<sub><i>n</i></sub> molecules having a distribution\nin <i>n</i>.