Topology-Induced Reduction in the Order–Disorder Transition in AB Block Copolymer: A Unit-Matched Comparison of Diblock, Multiblock, Comb, and Star Architectures

) that separate alignment onset from late-stage defect annihilation, while selective sidewalls robustly template sidewall-parallel lamellae across all topologies, the late-stage kinetics remain strongly connectivity dependent and can exhibit long-tailed completion associated with slow late-stage defect annihilation. These results demonstrate a dual role of topology in DSA: lowering the segregation strength required for bulk ordering while reshaping defect-mediated alignment pathways under confinement.