FORMATION OF MESOPHASE MONO-DOMAINS AND MICRO-STRUCTURES IN THIN FILMS OF A SERIES OF COPOLYETHERS CONTAINING BOTH ODD-NUMBERED METHYLENE UNITS*

The structural and morphological evolution of mono-domains in thin films has been investigated for a series ofliquid crystalline (LC) copolyethers. The copolyethers studied were synthesized by the reaction of 1-(4-hydroxy-4'-biphenylyl)-2 -(4-hydroxyl-phenyl)propane (TPP) with 1, 7-dibromoheptane and 1, 11-undecane at different compositions(coTPPs-7/11). In contrast to the solution-cast thin films without annealing, which exhibit the isotropic homogeneousmolecular orientation, mono-domains with a homeotropic alignment were found in coTPP-7/11(5/5) after the thin films wereannealed in the high-temperature columnar phase (Φ′). Similar to the nucleation process in polymer crystallization,transmission electron microscopic observations show that small mono-domains appear in the initial stage of annealing, wheremolecules form a uniaxial in-plane chain orientation. With increasing annealing time, the molecular orientation graduallybecame tilted with respect to the substrate surface, and finally, a uniaxial homeotropic molecular orientation was achievedafter a prolonged annealing time. The lateral size of mono-domains was found to increase continuously with annealing timeand grew into a circular shape, indicating an isotropic lateral growth scheme which implies a hexagonal molecular packingproved by the electron diffraction experiments.     

Structure of friction-transferred highly oriented poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films

Oriented thin films of P3HT were obtained by a friction-transfer technique. The morphology and structure of the film were studied by means of optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Optical microscopy observation indicates that large size well-ordered P3HT thin films can be produced by a friction-transfer technique. Highly ordered lamellae were observed in P3HT friction-transferred films by electron microscopy. Electron diffraction results confirm the existence of high orientation with the a- and c-axes of P3HT crystals aligned in the film plane while the c-axis parallel to the friction-transfer direction. The atomic force microscopy observation of the as-prepared P3HT thin film shows, however, a featureless top surface morphology, indicating the structure inhomogeneity of the obtained film. To get highly oriented P3HT thin films with homogenous structure, high temperature annealing, solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization of the friction-transferred film were performed. It is confirmed that solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization methods are efficient in improving the surface morphology and structure of the frictiontransferred P3HT thin film. Highly oriented P3HT films with unique structure can be obtained through friction-transfer with subsequent solvent vapor annealing and self-seeding recrystallization.     

Novel colorimetric sensor for mercury (Ⅱ) based on layer-by-layer assembly of unmodified silver triangular nanoplates

A simple layer-by-layer deposition technique was used to fabricate the multilayer thin films of unmodified silver triangular nanoplates(AgTNPs).The multilayer of AgTNPs thin films were fabricated by alternate deposition of each anionic sodium citrate stabilized AgTNPs and cationic poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride).All prepared AgTNPs multilayer thin films were exhibited a strong plasmon band at the wavelength of 667 nm,which confirmed the formation of AgTNPs onto the substrate.The characteristics of the multilayer thin films were investigated using contact angle measurement,UV-visible spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction analysis(XRD),atomic force microscope(AFM)and field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM).As these films are to be used as a mercury(II)colorimetric sensor,the changes in optical properties of the films were evaluated for various mercury(Ⅱ)concentrations.AgTNPs assembled into thin films showed a strong color shift from blue to mauve and colorless when exposed to mercury(Ⅱ).The constructed multilayer thin films exhibited excellent color changes of mercury(II) with a linear range between 0.5 and 20 ppm.The limit of detection(LOD) and limit of quantitation(LOQ) were 0.45 ± 0.002 and 1.52 ± 0.002 ppm,respectively.The recovery values of AgTNPs multilayer thin films are satisfactory in the range of 100.1%-106.4%when applied to determining mercury(Ⅱ) in water samples.     

The effect of complexing agent on crystal growth,structure and properties of nanostructured Cu_（2-x）S thin films

Thin films of Cu2 x S（x = 0, 1） were deposited on self-assembled, monolayer modified substrates in the copper–thiosulfate system with various concentrations of ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid（EDTA） at a low temperature of 70 8C. The thin films were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscope（XPS）, field emission scanning electron microscopy（FESEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）. The optical and photoelectrochemical（PEC） properties of the Cu2 x S semiconductor films were investigated by ultraviolet–visible（UV–vis） absorption spectroscopy and a three-electrode system. It is found that EDTA plays a key role in the process of Cu2 x S nanocrystals formation and growth. The compositions of the Cu2 x S nanocrystals varied from Cu2S（chalcocide） to Cu S（covellite） through adjusting the concentration of EDTA, which is used as a complexing agent to yield high-quality Cu2 x S films. The growth mechanisms of Cu2 x S nanocrystals with different EDTA concentrations are proposed and discussed in detail.     

Synergistic Effects of Solvent Vapor Assisted Spin-coating and Thermal Annealing on Enhancing the Carrier Mobility of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Field-effect Transistors

Poly(3-hexylthiophene)(P3 HT) thin films, obtained by normal spin-coating and solvent vapor assisted spin-coating(SVASP) before and after thermal annealing(TA), and the corresponding devices were prepared to unravel the microstructure-property relationship, which is of great importance for the development of organic electronics. When SVASP-TA films were used as the active layers of the organic field-effect transistors,a hole mobility up to 0.38 cm~2·V~(–1)·s~(–1) was achieved. This mobility was one of the highest values and one order of magnitude higher than that of the normal spin-coating films based transistors. The relationship between the microstructure and the device performance was fully investigated by UV-Vis absorption spectra, grazing incident X-ray diffraction(GIXD), and atomic force microscopy(AFM). The impressive mobility was attributed to the high crystallinity and ordered molecule packing, which stem from the synergistic effects of SVASP and thermal annealing.     

微接触印刷法直接制备图案化TiO2薄膜

A novel process to gain clear and high edge acuity micropatterns of TiO2 thin films by direct microcontact printing was presented in this paper. Using TiO2 sol as the “ink”, poly (dimethylsiloxane) elastomeric stamp was taken to transfer the TiO2 colloids to the substrate. The process is different from the traditional process using the SAMS to induce the deposition of TiO2. The new way increases the transferred efficiency of the micropatterned TiO2 thin films. The optical micrographs and SEM show that the micropatterned structures of TiO2 were microscale and uniform over a large area as well.     

Synthesis of a-SnWO_4 thin-film electrodes by hydrothermal conversion from crystalline WO_3

Thin film electrodes of the orthorhombic form of tin tungstate(a-SnWO4) were prepared using a hydrothermal method to convert thin films of WO3 in aqueous Sn Cl2.The p H dependence of the growth mechanism was identified by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The XRD patterns show complete conversion of WO3(s) to SnWO4(s) at p H 1,4,and 7.SEM images reveal a morphology change from sponge-like platelets to sharp nanowires as the p H increases from 1 to 7.The a-SnWO4 thin films were reddish brown in color,and display an indirect band gap of 1.9 e V by diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopy.a-SnWO4 is therefore solar-responsive,and a chopped light linear sweep voltammogram recorded under 100 m W/cm2AM1.5 simulated solar illumination in a p H 50.1 mol/L KPibuffer show a visible light response for photoelectrochemical water oxidation,producing32 m A/cm2 at 1.23 V vs.RHE.     

PHOTOVOLTAIC BEHAVIOURS OF THE COVALENTLY LINKED PHTHALOCYANINES DERIVATIVES

The photovoltaic behaviours of thin films of novel photosensitizer consisting of cova-lently linked phthalocyanine(Pc)and anthraquinone(AQ)were studied in 0.1mol/L Na_2SO_4 solu-tion.The results revealed that the higher photovoltage and photocurrent have been obtaineddue to light induced intra-molecules fast electron transfer in linked Pc-AQ compounds.Theeffects of different spacer chains between Pc and AQ molecules on photovoltaic behaviourswere also discussed.     

Growth Kinetics of Silicon Carbide Film Prepared by Heating Polystyrene/Si（111）

SiC films were prepared by heating polystyrene/Si（111） in normal pressure argon atmosphere at different temperatures. The films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared absorption measurements. The thicknesses of SiC films were calculated from FTIR spectra. The growth kinetics of the growth process of SiC films were investigated as well. The thicknesses of the SiC films grown for 1 h with increasing growth temperatures have different trends in the three temperature ranges： increasing slowly （1200-1250 ℃）, increasing quickly （1250- 12.70 ℃）, and decreasing （1270-1300 ℃）. The apparent activation energies of the growth process of SiC films in the three ranges were calculated to be 122.5,522.5, and -127.5 J/mol respectively. Mechanisms of the different growth processes were discussed. The relation between film thicknesses and growth temperatures indicated that the growth process was a 2D mechanism in the first range and 3D mechanism in the second range. In the third range, the thicknesses of SiC films were decreased by the volatility of Si and C atoms.     

Syntheses and Crystal Structures of Two New Metal Phosphonates： [Mn（H2O）2（C12H8N2） （HO3PCH2CH2CO2） ] and [Co（H2O）4（C10H8N2）]-（HOaPCH2CH2CO2）

By the reactions of manganese（if） acetate, 2-sulfoethylphosphonic acid, 1,10-phen （1,10-phen = 1, 10-phenanthroline） or cobalt（Ⅱ） acetate, 4,4＇-bipy and 2-carboxyethylphosphonic acid, two novel compounds of [Mn（H2O）2（C12H8N2） （HO3PCH2CH2CO2） ] （1） and[Co（H2O）4（C10H8N2）]-（HOaPCH2CH2CO2） （2） have been synthesized and characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 has a 0D structure. Two Mn（ii） ions are linked by two 2-carboxyethylphosphonic acid ligands, forming a centrosymmetric dimer. These dimers are further interlinked into a 2D layer structure by π-π stacking interactions and hydrogen bonds. Compound 2 has a 1D chain structure. The 2-carboxyethylphosphonic acid remains uncoordinated and acts as the organic template. By the bridge of 4,4＇-bipy, the [Co（4,4＇-bipy）]^2＋ chains are formed.     

Application of 4,4＇-（2-Carboxypropane-1,3-diyl）dibenzoic Acid in Coordination Metal Complexes： Synthesis,Characterization, and Theoretical Studies①

[Pb(HL)(phen)]n(1) and [Cd3L2(phen)]n(2), where phen = 1,10-phenanthroline and L = 4,4'-(2-carboxylatopropane-1,3-diyl)dibenzoate, were hydrothermally prepared and fully characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analyses. The decomposition temperature of 1 and 2 was measured to be ca. 304 and 416 ℃, respectively. The charge transfer transition based absorption of 1 and 2 was also verified by the powder scattering spectra and theoretical analyses.     

Donor-Acceptor Oligomers and Polymers Composed of Benzothiadiazole and 3-Hexylthiophene： Effect of Chain Length and Regioregularity

A series of donor-acceptor oligomer OBTThn （n = 1- 7） and polymer PBTThl and PBTTh2 composed of al- ternative 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole and 3-hexylthiophene have been designed and synthesized for the purpose of in- vestigation on the effect of chain length and side-chain regioregularity on their basic properties and photovoltaic performance. In the OBTThn oligomers and PBTThl polymer, all the hexyl side chains on thienyl units orient to- ward the same direction. Upon elongation of the chain length, the intramolecular charge transfer （ICT） absorption band in solution gradually redshifts from 398 nm for OBTThl to 505 nm for OBTThT, then to 512 nm for PBTThl polymer. Meanwhile, the HOMO energy level increases from -5.45 eV （OBTTh0 to -5.08 eV （OBTThT） and -5.09 eV （PBTThl）, and the LUMO energy level decreases from -3.11 eV （OBTTh0 to -3.30 eV （OBTThT） and -3.33 eV （PBTThl）, thus giving a smaller and smaller energy bandgap for higher oligomers and polymers. Theo- retical calculation suggests straight line-like backbone geometry for this series of oligomers and polymer. On the other hand, polymer PBTTh2 possesses a different side-chain regioregularity, in which every two neighbor hexyl side chains are arranged in different orienting direction. It is theoretically suggested to have curved line-like back- bone geometry. In solution, it shows similar photophysical and electrochemical properties as PBTThl. However in film state, it displays a less redshift in the ICT band as refer to that in solution than PBTThl. In combination with [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PC61BM）, these oligomers and polymers were used as donor material to fabricate organic bulk heterojunction solar cells. Again, chain length-dependent device photovoltaic performance was observed. The device based on OBTTh4 showed a power conversion efficiency of 0.16%, while it increased to 0.36% and 0.49% for the devices based on OBTTh6 and PBTThb respectively. However, the side-chain regio- regularity has less influence on the device photovoltaic output since the device based on PBTTh~ displayed an effi- ciency of 0.52%, comparable to that of PBTThl.     

Ladder-type Diindenopyrazine Based Conjugated Copolymers for Organic Solar Cells with High Open-circuit Voltages

A ladder-type diindenopyrazine （IPY） was synthesized and used as a building block for constructing conjugated copolymers. Three copolymers based on the IPY moiety were obtained via the Suzuki coupling reaction with dif- ferent monomers, including 4,7-dithien-2-yl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole （DBT）, 5,8-dithien-2-yl-2,3-diphenylquinoxa- line （DTQ）, and 5,8-dithien-2-yl-2,3-di（4-fluorophenyl）quinoxaline （DFTQ）. The obtained polymers were charac- terized by 1H NMR spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and gel permeation chro- matography （GPC）. Owing to the four solubilizing alkyl chains on the IPY unit, all the three copolymers have good solubility in common solvents. These polymers have deep-lying HOMO energy levels in the range of-5.55-5.60 eV, and exhibit field-effect mobilities as high as 0.006 cm2.V-l.s i. Photovoltaic applications of these polymers as light-harvesting and hole-conducting materials were investigated in conjunction with [6,6]-phenyl-C6rbutyric acid methyl ester （PC61BM）. Both conventional and inverted devices were fabricated based on these three polymers. A power conversion efficiency （PCE） of 2.53% and a high open-circuit voltage of 1.00 V were obtained under simu- lated solar light AM 1.5 G （100 mW/cm2） from an inverted solar cell with an active layer containing 25 wt% lad- der-type IPY containing copolymer （PIPYDTQ） and 75 wt% PC61BM. Moreover, a high open-circuit voltage of 1.02 V and a PCE of 2.40% were achieved from a conventional solar cell based on PIPYDTQ.     

Hydrogen Adsorption Study upon Ni/AI203 Nano-composite Synthesized by MOCVD Technique

The hydrogen adsorption （storage） studies upon Ni/A1203 nano-composite prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition technique （MOCVD） exploiting single source molec ular precursor （SSP） approach were carried out. The Ni/A1203 nano-composite is prepared in cold walled MOCVD reactor by the decomposition of SSP, [H2AI（OtBu）]2, on a substrate holding Ni（acac）2 powder. The SSP is a reducing agent which reduces Ni＋2 to Ni0 and works as source for Al203 matrix in which the Ni0 is dispersed. The resulting Ni/A1203 nano-composite is characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDX. The hydrogen adsorption （storage） studies are performed using home-made Sievert＇s type apparatus. The hydrogen storage studies reveal that approximately 2.9% （mass ratio） hydrogen can be stored in the Ni/A1203 nano-composite. The results show that Ni/A1203 nano-composite can be a po- tential candidate for hydrogen storage which can be used for onboard fuel purposes.     

Thickness Uniformity Adjustment of Inkjet Printed Light-emitting Polymer Films by Solvent Mixture

In this paper, thickness uniformity of poly（9,9-di-n-octylfluorene） films patterned by inkjet printing was im- proved by the use of solvent mixtures （a solvent with higher volatility, higher surface energy and lower viscosity, with another solvent with lower volatility, lower surface energy and higher viscosity）. The average thickness of inkjet printed poly（9,9-di-n-octylfluorene） films was increased from ca. 30 nm to ca. 100 nm when solvent mixtures were used instead of pure chlorobenzene. More flat PFO films were formed instead of the original films with con- cave-lens like cross-section formed by coffee ring effect. This improvement was explained by combination of in- tense Marangoni flow at early drying process and weak complementary flow at the later drying process formed in the solvent mixture. Patterned poly（9,9-di-n-octylfluorene） films were used for fabrication of electroluminescence devices with improved electronic property. Array of pixels with about 80% effective light-emitting area was ob- tained.     

Organic Fluorescent Molecule with High Solid State Lumines- cent Efficiency and Protonation Stimuli-response

A novel organic fluorophor with high solid state luminescent efficiency based on 1,4-bis（2,2-di（pyridin-2-yl）- vinyl）benzene （BDP2VB） was designed and synthesized. It emits faintly in solution, but becomes a strong emitter in the aggregate state, demonstrating its aggregation induced emission （AIE） property. According to the crystal struc- ture analysis, J-type aggregation was formed in the packing mode of the molecule, which was demonstrated to be beneficial to gain high fluorescent quantum efficiency in solid state. Additionally, the emission color of BDP2VB can change dramatically in solid state as well as in solution by the protonation stimuli.     

Photo-electrochemical water splitting system with three-layer n-type organic semiconductor film as photoanode under visible irradiation

A three-layer structure of n-type organic semiconductors(PTCDA/PTCDA:PCBM/PCBM) is successfully identified as photoanode for photoelectrochemical water oxidation during the overall splitting of water into hydrogen/oxygen in a nearly stoichiometric ratio(H2:O2=2:1) under visible irradiation(λ > 420 nm).A possible charge separation mechanism under visible light illumination was also proposed.     

活性炭的表面化学改性及其对有机硫化物的吸附性能的研究

活性炭； 表面化学改性； 有机硫化物； 吸附性     

Relationship Between Molecular Structure,Single crystal Packing and Self-Assembly Behavior: A Case Based on Pyrene Imide Derivatives

Development of new n-type one-dimensional (1D) self-assembly nanostructure and a clear understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and self-assembly behavior are important prerequisites for further designing and optimizing organic optoelectronic nanodevice. In this article, a series of n-type organic semiconductor materials based on pyrene imide were successfully synthesized through [4+2] cycloaddition reactions and their preliminary optical and electrochemical properties were studied. The simulated HOMO-LUMO bandgaps via DFT tallied with the experimental data well. The self-assembly of these materials showed needle or fiber-like morphologies, indicating that different conjugation degree or alkyl group had significant influence on their self-assembly behaviors. Furthermore, the single-crystal packing for these molecules were analyzed and it was found out that the changes of conjugated backbone and functional group would affect certain crystal lattice parameter significantly, such as the intermolecular packing distance and crystal size etc, which would further result in different self-assembly morphology.