Polystyrene-polyacrylate block copolymers, methods of manufacture thereof and articles comprising the same

A block copolymer comprising:

• 40 to 60 volume percent of a first block derived from a vinyl aromatic monomer;
• where the vinyl aromatic monomer is an alkylstyrene;
• where the alkylstyrene is o-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, α-methylstyrene, o-ethylstyrene, m-ethylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, α-methyl-p-methylstyrene, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, p-tert-butylstyrene, or a combination thereof;
• and where the first block has a polydispersity index of 1.2 or less;
• and
• 40 to 60 volume percent of a second block derived from an acrylate monomer;
• where the acrylate monomer has a structure represented by the formula (2);
• where R1 is a hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms and R2 is a hydrogen, a C1-10 alkyl, a C3-10 cycloalkyl, a C2-10 fluoroalkyl group, or a C7-10 aralkyl group;
• where a chi parameter that measures interactions between the first block and the second block is greater than or equal to about 0.05, when measured at 240° C.;
• and where the second block has a polydispersity index of 1.2 or less;
• and where the block copolymer comprises cylindrical and/or lamellar domains and has an interdomain spacing of less than or equal to about 25 nanometers.