A photoresist layer is lithographically exposed to form lithographically exposed photoresist regions and lithographically unexposed photoresist regions. The photoresist layer is developed with a non-polar or weakly polar solvent including a dissolved neutral polymer material. A neutral polymer layer is selectively formed on physically exposed surfaces of a hard mask layer underlying the photoresist layer. The neutral polymer layer has a pattern corresponding to the complement of the area of remaining portions of the photoresist layer. The remaining portions of the photoresist layer are then removed with a polar solvent without removing the neutral polymer layer on the hard mask layer. A block copolymer material can be subsequently applied over the neutral polymer, and the neutral polymer layer can guide the alignment of a phase-separated block copolymer material in a directed self-assembly.