Characterization of a polymer microlens fabricated by use of the hydrophobic effect

We report a means of fabricating hydrophilic domains in a hydrophobic background by lithographically patterning an adhesive hydrophobic layer. Polymer microlenses were fabricated on these substrates by use of a dip-coating technique. Various lens shapes (circular, elliptical, square) were fabricated on a variety of substrates (SiO(2), SiN, GaAs, InP, etc.), ranging in size from 2 to 500 microm in diameter, with fill factors of up to 90%. Plano-convex and double-convex lenses were fabricated, with f-numbers as low as 1.38 and 1.2, respectively. Optimum lens surfaces deviated from spherical by just +/-5 nm . The lenses are stable at room temperature and exhibit minimal degradation after 24 h at 105 degrees C. The transfer of these polymer lenses to an underlying substrate was also demonstrated.     

Early stages of phase separation from polydisperse polymer mixtures

We study the early stages of phase separation in a mixture of a polydisperse and a monodisperse polymer within the Cahn-Hilliard framework. We model the polydisperse component using a finite, but arbitrarily large, number of components, and show that the number of components required for convergent behaviour to be achieved is computationally undemanding. We study the growth rate of fluctuations following a quench into the two-phase region of the phase diagram. The q-dependence of the growth rate is shown to be commensurate with the behaviour of a monodisperse-monodisperse mixture, with the major difference being an effective mobility that is dependent on the quench depth. We also study the deviation of the time dependence of the scattering function from single exponential behaviour. Received 29 June 2000 and Received in final form 20 November 2000     

Suppression of phase separation through blending of electron transporting materials in polymer electrophosphorescent devices

Herein, we report the concentration effect of an electron transporting material, 1,3-bis ((4-tert-butyl-phenyl)-1,3,4-oxidiazolyl) phenylene (OXD-7), on the performance of polymer electrophosphorescent devices. From the phase mode images of atomic force microscopy, we observed that phase separation between the host material and the triplet dopants was suppressed in the photoactive film while the concentration of OXD-7 was increased. Correspondingly, the single-layer blue light-emitting device with the best external quantum efficiency of 7.9% was achieved. We attributed the device enhancement to the improved compatibility between the host and the phosphorescent molecules after the addition of OXD-7 molecules.     

Modes selection in polymer mixtures undergoing phase separation by photochemical reactions

Phase separation kinetics and morphology of binary polymer mixtures (A/B) in the presence of photochemical reactions were investigated by using phase-contrast optical microscopy combined with digital image analysis. The polymers were chemically designed in such a way that two types of chemical reactions, intermolecular photodimerization and intramolecular photoisomerization, of polymer segments can be induced and controled by irradiation with ultraviolet light. Unlike the conventional case, the phase separation in the presence of these reactions is spontaneously frozen due to the suppression of the long-wavelength instabilities, resulting in stationary spatial structures with intrinsic periodicities. These characteristic length scales are determined by the competition between the two antagonistic interactions: phase separation as a relatively short-range activation and the photochemical reaction as a long-range inhibition. Furthermore, it was found that the spatial symmetry breaking of concentration fluctuations can emerge from the elastic stress associated with the nonhomogeneous kinetics of the reactions. Experimental data obtained with three types of reactions: A-A only cross-link, A-A and B-B simultaneous cross-links and the reversible A<-->B photoisomerization are described. These results do not only indicate that combination of chemical reactions and phase separation could provide a novel method to control the morphology of multiphase polymer materials, but also suggest that photoreactive polymers can be used as a chemical system to study the mode-selection process in polymers far from thermodynamic equilibrium. (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.     

界面自组装的金/氧化石墨烯复合材料的表面增强拉曼散射行为研究

采用Frens法制备金纳米粒子溶胶,通过界面自组装技术在掺磷的非晶碳衬底表面构筑三维的金/氧化石墨烯/金复合结构.以罗丹明B为探针分子,考察金/氧化石墨烯/金复合材料的表面增强拉曼散射活性.结果表明,由于氧化石墨烯的化学增强和金纳米粒子的电磁场增强的协同作用,在该三维复合材料上获得了很强的罗丹明B拉曼信号.所设计的三维金/氧化石墨烯/金复合材料在生物分析、环境监测、疾病防控、食品安全等领域具有潜在的应用价值.     

Improving performance of polymer solar cell by adjusting crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation

In this paper, we report a high-performance P3HT/PCBM bulk-heterojunction solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 4.85% fabricated by adjusting polymer crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation using an ultrasonic irradiation mixing approach of the polymer. The results of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis spectroscopic, and atomic force microscopic measurements of the P3HT/PCBM blend films reveal that the P3HT/PCBM film fabricated by ultrasonic irradiation mixing P3HT and PCBM solutions for 10 min has higher degree of crystallinity, higher absorption efficiency, and better phase separation, which altogether account for the higher charge transport properties and photovoltaic cell performance.     

Kinetics of friction and wear of polymer composite materials

The kinetics of wear, heating, and relaxation of the friction force of antifriction self-lubricating polymer composite materials with metals are investigated. Heat-resistant polyheteroarylenes are used as a matrix. The fillers are metal and polymer powders, TiO₂ whiskers, and strips of oriented polymer fibers. It is established that the temperature and pressure dependences of the heating rate, wear, and relaxation of the friction force are described by the Zhurkov equation. The activation energy of these processes is equal to the activation energy of fracture of the matrix. The activation volume of fracture depends on the nature and shape of the filler particles. It is concluded that the kinetics of wear, heating, and relaxation of the friction force are determined by the probability of occurrence of destructive thermal fluctuations responsible for the breaking of chemical bonds in molecules of the matrix.     

A flexible carbon nanotube field emitter fabricated on a polymer substrate by a laser separation method

The fabrication of a sparsely networked carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film on a polycarbonate substrate as the conductor electrode and the emitting cathode by a newly proposed laser separation method is reported. Based on this approach, numerous surface protruding tube tips can be structured straightforwardly, which results in favorable field-emission characteristics. A flexible field emitter with a low turn-on voltage of 1.0 V/μm can be obtained. This method also demonstrates the abilities for fabricating a film with precision patterns and varying CNT concentrations as well as the flexibility of direct film formation on a curved surface. Moreover, all fabrication steps are executed in the ambient environment and at room temperature.     

Time-resolved,stress-induced,and anisotropic phase transformation of a piezoelectric polymer

We investigate the time-dependent and anisotropic phase transformation of poly (vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) under bending. Using combined techniques of an atomic force microscope and a Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, observation of surface morphology and phase transformation in time was made. Results showed that bending stress induces the transformation of amorphous, α,β, and γ crystalline phases. Specifically, the amorphous phase was transformed into the β phase when the bending force was applied. In addition, the transformation observed was time and direction dependent. The anisotropic behavior observed brings insights into the origin of the piezoelectricity of PVDF.     

Design and fabrication of a microlens array by use of a slow tool servo

In recent years it has become possible to fabricate free-form optics by use of multiaxis ultraprecision machines. Here a 5 x 5 microlens array is fabricated by using an ultraprecision diamond turning machine equipped with four independent axes. Unlike the conventional process where a single diamond tool is used to machine one lens at a time, this research demonstrates the development of an innovative diamond tool trajectory that allows the entire microlens array to be machined in a single operation. The machined microlens array is measured for both curve conformity and surface roughness. Compared to the conventional approach where indexing the workpiece is difficult and unreliable, this process can produce microlenses with accurate geometry and optical surface finish. This unique process is described in detail from optical measurement to machining process design and development to final results. This research also demonstrates the possibility of fabricating any arbitrary shape with the same approach.     

Fabrication of PDMS microlens array by digital maskless grayscale lithography and replica molding technique

This paper presents a facile and effective method to fabricate microlens array in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The microlens array model is fabricated in photoresist via digital maskless grayscale lithography technique and the replica molding technique is used to fabricate PDMS microlens array. A convex PDMS microlens array with rectangular aperture and concave PDMS microlens array with hexagonal aperture are fabricated. The morphological characteristics of the microlens arrays are measured by microscope and 3D profiler. The results indicate that the profiles of the PDMS microlens arrays are clear and distinct. This method provides a simple and low-cost approach to prepare large area, concave or convex with arbitrary shape microlens array, which has potential application in many optoelectronic devices.     

Improving the performance of polymer solar cells by adjusting the crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation

In this paper, we report a high-performance P3HT/PCBM bulk-heterojunction solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 4.85% fabricated by adjusting the polymer crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation using an ultrasonic irradiation mixing approach for the polymer. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis spectroscopic, and atomic force microscopic measurement results for the P3HT/PCBM blend films reveal that the P3HT/PCBM film fabricated by ultrasonic irradiation mixing of the P3HT and PCBM solutions for 10 min has a higher degree of crystallinity, a higher absorption efficiency, and better phase separation, which together account for the higher charge transport properties and photovoltaic cell performance.     

Distinctive thermal behavior and nanoscale phase separation in the heterogeneous liquid-crystal B4 matrix of bent-core molecules

By means of high-resolution calorimetry, we studied thermodynamic properties of the liquid-crystal B(4) phase where bent-core molecules form a helical nanofilament structure. Distinctive thermal behavior characterizing the growth process of the B(4) phase was obtained in undergoing the phase transition with many sharp peaks, indicating a highly heterogeneous structure. It has been demonstrated that such unusual behavior is commonly seen for two types of rodlike molecules as well as for various mixture compositions. We speculate that mixture systems involve a nanoscale phase-separated structure due to the remarkable aggregation effect in the bent-core molecules and that the helical nanofilament structure independently grows in the isotropic state of rodlike molecules. We also propose that the asymmetry in viscoelastic property plays a role in yielding unusual behavior.     

Preparation and evaluation of mechanochemically fabricated LSM/ScSZ composite materials for SOFC cathodes

The LSM/ScSZ composite powder materials for SOFC cathodes were prepared by the mechanical method using an attrition-type particle composing machine and their electrochemical performance was examined. They are designed in such a way that relatively large LSM particles are coated with fine-grained ScSZ particles prior to the electrode fabrication process such as sintering, thus ensuring the establishment of both the ionic and electronic conducting paths within the electrode. The composite cathode using these composite powders outperformed, in the interfacial area specific resistance, a simple LSM cathode and the LSM/ScSZ composite cathode fabricated by an ordinary starting powder mixture without mechanical treatment. The interfacial area specific resistance was actually reduced by 75% relative to the simple LSM cathode, and by 50% relative to the ordinary composite cathode. In addition, the amount of ScSZ doping was reduced down to 20% by weight fraction. The present result suggests that the proposed composite particles can be considered as a potential cathode material in order to enhance SOFC cathode performance.     

Parallel fabrication of silicon concave microlens array by femtosecond laser irradiation and mixed acid etching

A method of multi-beam femtosecond laser irradiation combined with modified HF-HNO_3-CH_3 COOH etching is used for the parallel fabrication of all-silicon plano-concave microlens arrays(MLAs). The laser beam is split by a diffractive optical element and focused by a lens to drill microholes parallely on silicon. An HF-HNO_3-H_2SO_4-CH_3 COOH solution is used to expand and polish laser-ablated microholes to form microlenses. Compared with the HF-HNO_3-CH_3 COOH solution,the solution with H_2SO_4 can effectively reduce the etched surface roughness. The morphologies of MLAs at different laser powers and pulse numbers are observed. The image array formed by the silicon microlenses is also demonstrated.     

Soda-lime glass microlens arrays fabricated by laser: Comparison between a nanosecond and a femtosecond IR pulsed laser

We present the manufacturing of microlens arrays on soda-lime glass substrates by using two different IR pulsed lasers: a nanosecond Nd:YVO₄ laser (1064 nm) and a femtosecond laser based on Ytterbium crystal technology (1030 nm). In both cases, the fabrication technique consists of the combination of a direct-write laser process, followed by a post-thermal treatment assisted by a CO₂ laser. Through the analysis of the morphological characteristics of the generated microlenses, the different physical mechanisms involved in the glass ablation process with a nanosecond and a femtosecond laser are studied. In addition, by analyzing the optical features of the microlenses, a better result in terms of the homogeneity and quality of the spot focuses are observed for those microlenses fabricated with the Nd:YVO₄ nanosecond laser. Microlens arrays with a diameter of 80 and 90 µm were fabricated.     

纳米石墨烯片-正十八烷复合相变材料制备及热物性研究

本文分别制备了纳米石墨烯片质量分数为0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%的纳米石墨烯片-正十八烷复合相变材料,并通过扫描电镜测试、红外光谱分析、差示扫描量热实验及导热分析等实验对其形貌结构及热物性进行表征和研究.实验表明本文制备的纳米石墨烯-正十八烷复合相变材料具有很好的相变稳定性;当纳米石墨烯片的质量分数达到2%时,复合相变材料的导热系数相对于纯十八烷高出了89.4%.     

飞秒平顶光束经微透镜阵列在熔融石英中的成丝及其超连续辐射

实验研究了平顶激光光束经微透镜阵列在熔融石英中成丝的演化以及超连续辐射的产生,并进一步与高斯光束的成丝和超连续辐射进行了对比研究.分别对这两种光束的多丝传输进行了横向和纵向成像.结果表明,使用平顶光束可以获得更为均匀的多丝分布,成丝的起点也更为一致;尤其重要的是,相对于高斯光束,平顶光束可以使用更高的入射激光脉冲能量而不会造成介质的损伤,从而可以获得更高脉冲能量和更高转换效率的超连续辐射.