Role and effect of dopant ion on sorption-induced motion of polypyrrole films

The sorption-induced bending and recovery motion of PPy films containing different dopant ions have been investigated, and the interaction between water vapor and PPy was studied from sorption isotherms and kinetics. It was found that the PPy/BF₄ film exhibited the most rapid motion, and the initial speeds of bending and recovery motion were 7.9 and 5.9 mm s⁻¹, respectively. The linear expansion coefficient of the film increased in order of PPy/DBS, PPy/TsO, PPy/ClO₄, and PPy/BF₄, which is consistent with the packing density of the PPy chains (ϕ_PPy). The dual-mode sorption model applied to the isothermal sorption of water vapor to the PPy demonstrated that the Langmuir's capacity constant increased in the same order with the ϕ_PPy, while the Henry's law constant was nearly constant. The sorption kinetics obeyed Fickian despite the dimensional change of the films, and the PPy/BF₄ film had the largest diffusion coefficient of 3.13 × 10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹. The experimental results indicated that the kind of dopant ion was crucial to the thermodynamics and kinetics of sorption, and the quick and intensive bending motion of PPy/BF₄ films was attributed to the fast diffusion of water vapor, which caused the large dimensional change of the film.© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys. 36: 2635–2642, 1998     

Characterization of thin polymer‐like films formed by plasma polymerization of methylmethacrylate: A neutron reflectivity study

The microstructure of the plasma‐polymerized methylmethacrylate (ppMMA) films is characterized using neutron reflectivity (NR) as a function of the plasma reaction time or film thickness. Variation in the crosslink density normal to the substrate surface is examined by swelling the film with a solvent, d‐nitrobenzene (dNB). In the presence of dNB, uniform swelling is observed throughout the bulk as well as at the air surface, and silicon oxide interfaces. The results indicate that the MMA film prepared by plasma polymerization (ppMMA) has a uniform crosslink density from air surface to substrate surface. Additionally, the scattering length density of the plasma‐polymerized MMA film (SLD ≈ 0.750 × 10⁻⁶ Å⁻²) is much lower than that of a conventional PMMA film (SLD = 1.177 × 10⁻⁶ Å⁻²). The increase in film thickness following dNB sorption is 7.5% and at least 36% for the ppMMA and PMMA films, respectively. This suggests that the films formed by plasma polymerization are different from conventional polymers in chemical structure. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2522–2530, 2004     

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman spectroscopy study of poly(dimethylsiloxane)

Poly(dimethylsiloxane) was studied by laser Raman spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The Si O Si skeletal mode at 489 cm⁻¹ and the C Si C deformation bands at 188 cm⁻¹ and 158 cm⁻¹ were studied as functions of temperature from ambient to −130°C, and effects of temperature interpreted in accordance with results from thermal analysis. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 2805–2810, 1998     

Chemically Gradient Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Framework Crystal Film

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs) are ordered supramolecular solid structures, however, nothing much explored as centimetre-scale self-standing films. The fabrication of such crystals comprising self-supported films is challenging due to the limited flexibility and interaction of the crystals, and therefore studies on two-dimensional macrostructures of HOFs are limited to external supports. Herein, we introduce a novel chemical gradient strategy to fabricate a crystal-deposited HOF film on an in situ-formed covalent organic polymer film (Tam-Bdca-CGHOF). The fabricated film showed versatility in chemical bonding along its thickness from covalent to hydrogen-bonded network. The kinetic-controlled Tam-Bdca-CGHOF showed enhanced proton conductivity (8.3×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹) compared to its rapid kinetic analogue, Tam-Bdca-COP (2.1×10⁻⁵ S cm⁻¹), which signifies the advantage of bonding-engineering in the same system.     

Proton Conductivities of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets: Single,Multilayer, and Modified Nanosheets

Proton conductivities of layered solid electrolytes can be improved by minimizing strain along the conduction path. It is shown that the conductivities (σ) of multilayer graphene oxide (GO) films (assembled by the drop‐cast method) are larger than those of single‐layer GO (prepared by either the drop‐cast or the Langmuir‐Blodgett (LB) method). At 60 % relative humidity (RH), the σ value increases from 1×10⁻⁶ S cm⁻¹ in single‐layer GO to 1×10⁻⁴ and 4×10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for 60 and 200 nm thick multilayer films, respectively. A sudden decrease in conductivity was observed for with ethylenediamine (EDA) modified GO (enGO), which is due to the blocking of epoxy groups. This experiment confirmed that the epoxide groups are the major contributor to the efficient proton transport. Because of a gradual improvement of the conduction path and an increase in the water content, σ values increase with the thickness of the multilayer films. The reported methods might be applicable to the optimization of the proton conductivity in other layered solid electrolytes.     

Oxygen Diffusion into Polymer-Clay Composite Films as a Function of Clay Content and Temperature

Summary: A simple fluorescence technique is proposed for the measurement of the diffusion coefficient of oxygen into polystyrene-clay composite films as a function of clay content and temperature. The composite films were prepared from a mixture of surfactant-free pyrene-labeled polystyrene latexes and modified Na-montmorillonite clay of various compositions at room temperature. Diffusion measurements were performed with films at room temperature for seven different clay contents (0, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 60 wt.%). The diffusion coefficients of oxygen increased from 7.4 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 26.9 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm²s⁻¹ with increasing clay content. On the other hand, diffusion measurements were performed over a temperature range of 25–70 °C for 0, 5 and 20 wt.% clay content films. The calculated diffusion activation energies decreased from 2.44 to 0.44 kcal/mol with increasing clay content. No clay content and temperature effects were observed on quenching rate constant and mutual diffusion coefficient values. The results showed that the diffusion coefficients are strongly dependent on both the temperature and clay content in the film.     

Effect of post-deposition annealing temperature on RF-sputtered HfO2 thin film for advanced CMOS technology

Structural and electrical properties of HfO₂ gate-dielectric metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors deposited by sputtering are investigated. The HfO₂ high-k thin films have been deposited on p-type <100> silicon wafer using RF-Magnetron sputtering technique. The Ellipsometric, FTIR and AFM characterizations have been done. The thickness of the as deposited film is measured to be 35.38 nm. Post deposition annealing in N₂ ambient is carried out at 350, 550, 750 °C. The chemical bonding and surface morphology of the film is verified using FTIR and AFM respectively. The structural characterization confirmed that the thin film was free of physical defects and root mean square surface roughness decreased as the annealing temperature increased. The smooth surface HfO₂ thin films were used for Al/HfO₂/p-Si MOS structures fabrication. The fabricated Al/HfO₂/p-Si structure had been used for extracting electrical properties such as dielectric constant, EOT, interface trap density and leakage current density through capacitance voltage and current voltage measurements. The interface state density extracted from the G–V measurement using Hill Coleman method. Sample annealed at 750 °C showed the lowest interface trap density (3.48 × 10¹¹ eV⁻¹ cm⁻²), effective oxide charge (1.33 × 10¹² cm⁻²) and low leakage current density (3.39 × 10⁻⁹ A cm⁻²) at 1.5 V.     

Kinetics of the gas-phase reactions of the oh radical with selected glycol ethers,glycols, and alcohols

Using a relative rate method, rate constants have been measured for the gas-phase reactions of the OH radical with 1-hexanol, 1-methoxy-2-propanol, 2-butoxyethanol, 1,2-ethanediol, and 1,2-propanediol at 296±2 K, of (in units of 10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹): 15.8±3.5; 20.9±3.1; 29.4±4.3; 14.7±2.6; and 21.5±4.0, respectively, where the error limits include the estimated overall uncertainties in the rate constants for the reference compounds. These OH radical reaction rate constants are higher than certain of the literature values, by up to a factor of 2. Rate constants were also measured for the reactions of 1-methoxy-2-propanol and 2-butoxyethanol with NO₃ radicals and O₃, with respective NO₃ radical and O₃ reaction rate constants (in cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ units) of: 1-methoxy-2-propanol, (1.7±0.7)×10⁻¹⁵, and <1.1×10⁻¹⁹; and 2-butoxyethanol, (3.0±1.2)×10⁻¹⁵, and <1.1×10⁻¹⁹. The dominant tropospheric loss process for the alcohols, glycols, and glycol ethers studied here is calculated to be by reaction with the OH radical, with lifetimes of 0.4–0.8 day for a 24 h average OH radical concentration of 1.0×10⁶ molecule cm⁻³. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 30: 533–540, 1998     

Understanding anion transport in an aminated trimethyl polyphenylene with high anionic conductivity

An alkaline exchange membrane (AEM) based on an aminated trimethyl poly(phenylene) is studied in detail. This article reports hydroxide ion conductivity through an in situ method that allows for a more accurate measurement. The ionic conductivities of the membrane in bromide and carbonate forms at 90 °C and 95% RH are found to be 13 and 17 mS cm⁻¹ respectively. When exchanged with hydroxide, conductivity improved to 86 mS cm⁻¹ under the same experimental conditions. The effect of relative humidity on water uptake and the SAXS patterns of the AEM membranes were investigated. SAXS analysis revealed a rigid aromatic structure of the AEM membrane with no microphase separation. The synthesized AEM is shown to be mechanically stable as seen from the water uptake and SAXS studies. Diffusion NMR studies demonstrated a steady state long-range diffusion constant, D_∞ of 9.8 × 10⁻⁶ cm² s⁻¹ after 50–100 ms. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013, 51, 1743–1750, 2013     

Determination of the rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of methyl butenol with OH radicals,ozone, NO3 radicals,and Cl atoms

Using a relative rate method, rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol (MBO) with OH radicals, ozone, NO₃ radicals, and Cl atoms have been investigated using FTIR. The measured values for MBO at 298±2 K and 740±5 torr total pressure are: k_OH=(3.9±1.2)×10⁻¹¹ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k_O3=(8.6±2.9)×10⁻¹⁸ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, k=(8.6±2.9)×10⁻¹⁵ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹, and k_Cl=(4.7±1.0)×10⁻¹⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹. Atmospheric lifetimes have been estimated with respect to the reactions with OH, O₃, NO₃, and Cl. The atmospheric relevance of this compound as a precursor for acetone is, also, briefly discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet: 30: 589–594, 1998     

[JW1]Oxidation of NADH by dopamine incorporated in lipid film cast onto a glassy carbon electrode

Stable lipid film was made by casting lipid in chloroform onto a glassy carbon electrode. This model of a biological membrane was used to investigate the oxidation of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) by dopamine. After this electrode had been immersed in dopamine solution for 10 h, it was found that some dopamine had been incorporated in the film. The cyclic voltammogram was obtained for the oxidation of 2.0×10⁻³ mol l⁻¹ NADH with dopamine incorporated in the films. All electrochemical experiments were performed in 0.005 mol l⁻¹ phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) containing 0.1 mol l⁻¹ NaCl without oxygen. The oxidation current increased gradually with successive sweeps and reached steady state. It was a different phenomenon from previous results. The anodic overpotential was reduced by about 130 mV compared with that obtained at a bare glassy carbon electrode. The diffusion coefficient for 2.0×10⁻³ mol l⁻¹ NADH was 6.7×10^–6 cm² s⁻¹.     

Yttrium Doped Copper (II) Oxide Hole Transport Material as Efficient Thin Film Transistor

This work reports development of yttrium doped copper oxide (Y−CuO) as a new hole transport material with supplemented optoelectronic character. The pure and Y-doped CuO thin films are developed through a solid-state method at 200 °C and recognized as high performance p-channel inorganic thin-film transistors (TFTs). CuO is formed by oxidative decomposition of copper acetylacetonate, yielding 100 nm thick and conductive (40.9 S cm⁻¹) compact films with a band gap of 2.47 eV and charge carrier density of ∼1.44×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. Yttrium doping generates denser films, Cu₂Y₂O₅ phase in the lattice, with a wide band gap of 2.63 eV. The electrical conductivity increases nine-fold on 2 % Y addition to CuO, and the carrier density increases to 2.97×10²¹ cm⁻³, the highest reported so far. The TFT devices perform remarkably with high field-effect mobility (μ_sat) of 3.45 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 5.3 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, and considerably high current-on/off ratios of 0.11×10⁴ and 9.21×10⁴, for CuO and Y−CuO films, respectively (at −1 V operating voltage). A very small width hysteresis, 0.01 V for CuO and 1.92 V for 1 % Y−CuO, depict good bias stability. Both the devices work in enhancement mode with stable output characteristics for multiple forward sweeps (5 to −60 V) at −1V_g.     

Temperature‐dependent desorption of surfactants in LLDPE blend films

The temperature‐dependent desorption behavior of surfactants in linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) blend films was studied with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy at 25, 40, and 50 °C. The LLDPE/low‐density polyethylene blend was 70/30. Three different specimens (labeled II, III, and IV) were prepared with various compositions of the surfactant, sorbitan palmitate (SPAN‐40), and the migration controller, poly(ethylene acrylic acid) (EAA). The calculated diffusion coefficients of SPAN‐40 in specimens II, III, and IV at 25, 40, and 50 °C varied from 9.6 × 10⁻¹² to 17.4 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s, from 5.5 × 10⁻¹² to 11.0 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s, and from 3.1 × 10⁻¹² to 5.8 × 10⁻¹² cm²/s, respectively. In addition, the activation energies of specimens II, III, and IV measured between 25 and 50 °C were 18.74, 19.42, and 20.14, respectively. Hence, the desorption rate of the surfactant increased with the temperature and decreased with an addition of EAA, but the activation energy increased with EAA. The diffusion kinetics, analyzed with a plot of the integrated intensity ratio as a function of time, log(I_t/I_∞) versus log t, at 25, 40, and 50 °C obeyed Fickian diffusion behavior. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 218–227, 2001     

Surface characterization of ion-implanted polyethylene

Polyethylene (PE) film was implanted with 1000-keV Ar⁺ ions to a fluence of 5 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm² under high vacuum conditions (2.5 × 10⁻⁶ torr) and the film surface was investigated by means of microhardness and microwear measurements, and FTIR/ATR, Raman, and XPS techniques. Ion implantation significantly increased the subsurface hardness and also significantly improved the microwear resistance of the polymer. The implanted surface region of the film was found to consist of two distinct layers. One was the outermost carbon layer with a thickness of the order of 10 nm. In this layer, ca. 75% of carbon atoms were combined by graphitic sp² and diamond-like sp³ bonds, and the remaining 25% had chemical links with oxygen atoms. Spectroscopic data suggested that the sp²-bonded carbons segregated in graphite-like clusters containing imbedded oxygen atoms, interconnected by the sp³-bonded carbons. The other was the subsurface layer resulting from PE oxidation after ion-beam treatment. This layer was characterized by high contents of O H and CO groups as well as ester and double bonds. The chemical composition of the layer was uniform and did not vary over the layer thickness of about 1.4 μm. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 715–725, 1998     

Surface-plasmon optical characterisation of asymmetric soap films

Stable water films covered by arachidic acid monolayers were prepared on vertically arranged glass/Ag/SiO₂-substrates, which were partially pulled out of a film balance trough. The thickness profiles were recorded by on-line-measurement, using the thickness dependence of the dispersion of surface plasmon polaritons. The surface plasmon imaging technique allows for a thickness resolution of 0.2 nm and a height resolution of ca. 20 μm. Variations of these profiles as a function of the lateral pressure of the horizontal arachidate layer on the film balance were observed. For the first time Raman studies were made on asymmetric soap films. The intensity ratio of the Δη_a = 2800 cm⁻¹ to the Δη_s = 2850 cm⁻¹ line in the CH-stretching vibration range shows a dependence on the lateral pressure in the monolayer.     

Modelling of mass transfer in facilitated supported liquid membrane transport of copper(II) using MOC-55 TD in Iberfluid

The transport of copper(II) through a supported liquid membrane using MOC-55 TD (oxime derivative), dissolved in Iberfluid, as a carrier has been studied. A physico-chemical model is derived to describe the transport mechanism which consists of: diffusion process through the feed aqueous diffusion layer, fast interfacial chemical reaction and diffusion through the membrane. The experimental data can be explained by mathematical equations describing the rate of transport. The mass transfer coefficient was calculated from the described model as 2.8×10⁻³ cm s⁻¹, the thickness of the aqueous boundary layer as 2.6×10⁻³ cm⁻¹ and the membrane diffusion coefficient of the copper-containing species as 1.2×10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹.     

Electrode kinetics of electroactive electropolymerized polymers deposited on graphite electrode surfaces

A kinetic examination of the charge-transport processes (i.e. (i) heterogeneous electron-transfer process of electrode/film interfaces and (ii) homogeneous charge-transport process within films) at electroactive electropolymerized film-coated electrodes was conducted by normal pulse voltammetry. The films employed were of poly(o-phenylenediamine), Poly(N-methylaniline) and poly(N-ethylaniline), which were prepared on electrodes as coating films by electrooxidative polymerization of the corresponding monomers in an acidic solution. It was found that process (i) obeys the conventional Butler-Volmer equation and that process (ii) can be treated as a Fickian diffusion process. In addition, the kinetic parameters characterizing processes (i) and (ii) (i.e. the standard rate constant (k°) and transfer coefficient (α) for process (i), and the apparent diffusion coefficient (D_app for process (ii)) were estimated: D_app = ca (1–4)×10⁻⁸ cm² s⁻¹ s⁻¹, k° = ca. (4–6)×10⁻⁴ cm s⁻¹, α_a (for anodic process) = 0.83–0.86 and α_c (for cathodic process)=0.13–0.23. The are compared with the data reported previously for other electroactive polymer films.     

Upper limits for the gas-phase reaction of H2O2 with O3 and NO. Atmospheric implications

Upper limits of 4×10⁻²⁰ and 7×10⁻²⁰ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ were established for the gas-phase reactions of H₂O₂ with O₃ and NO, respectively. These reactions are too slow to explain features observed in the atmospheric vertical profile of H₂O₂. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet: 30: 707–709, 1998     

Electrochemistry and electrochromic properties of phenanthroline-iron(II/III) complex films

New films of the iron complexes with bis((2-hydroxyphenyl)methylaminosulfonyl)bathophenanthroline(HPBP) and bis((2-aminophenyl)methylaminosulfonyl)bathophenanthroline(APBP) ligands are prepared on the electrode surfaces by electrochemical polymerization. The resulting film-coated electrode shows a well-defined reversible voltammogram corresponding to the redox reaction of the Fe(II/III) complexes and an electrochromic change from red(absorption maximum: 540 nm) to colorless. The response rate of the color change to a potential step was found to be correlated to the apparent diffusion coefficient(Dapp) for the homogeneous charge-transport process within the film. The Dapp values estimated are (3-4) × 10⁻⁹cm²s⁻¹ for the [Fe(APBP)₃] film and(1-2) × 10⁻⁸cm²s⁻² for the [Fe(HPBP)₃] film, respectively, by potential-step chronoamperometric and chronocoulometric methods. The result of electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance(EQCM) measurements⁴) and dependence of the formal potential of the metal complex of the Fe(II/III) redox couple with activity of the supporting electrolyte anion in NaClO₄ aqueous solution showed that anion, cation, and solvent move simultaneously across the polymer film/solution interface during the redox reaction. A piezoelectric admittance measurement⁴⁾ of the poly[Fe(APBP)₃] coated quartz crystal electrode showed that the viscosity of the film is affected by the oxidation state of iron.     

Conjugated polymers based on 1,8‐naphthalene monoimide with high electron mobility

1,4,8,9‐Naphthalene diimides (NDIs) with strong electron accepting ability and high stability are excellent building blocks for semiconductor polymers. However, 1,8‐naphthalene monoimide (NMI) with similar structure and energy levels as that of NDI has never been used to construct conjugated polymers because of synthetic difficulty. Herein, 3,6‐dibromo‐NMI (DBNMI) with bulky alkyl groups was obtained effectively in a four‐step synthesis, and three donor‐acceptor (D‐A) type conjugated polymers based on NMI were firstly prepared. These polymers have strong absorption in the range of 300–600 nm, low LUMO level of 3.68 eV, and moderate bandgaps of 2.18 eV. Space charge limiting current measurements indicate these polymers are typical electron transporting materials, and the highest electron mobility is up to 5.8 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, which is close to the star acceptor based on NDI (N2200, 5.0 × 10⁻³ cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹). © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 276–281