Deviations from bulk morphologies in thin films of block copolymer/additive binary blends

Deviations from bulk morphologies in thin films of binary blends of alkyne-functionalized diblock copolymer poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(n-butyl methacrylate-random-propargyl methacrylate) (PEO-b-P(nBMA-r-PgMA)) and Rhodamine B azide are reported, where thermal click reaction between the two components leads to microphase separated morphologies. Both in the bulk and in thin films, increasing the azide loading ratio resulted in the transition from a lamellar microdomain morphology to a hexagonally packed cylindrical mircodomain morphology. However, in thin films the lamellae-cylinder transition was observed at a different azide loading ratio, which was determined by film thickness. As a result, significant deviations from the bulk morphology were observed. These results indicate that surface interactions and confined geometry can play an important role in dictating the morphology in thin films of BCP/additive binary blends.     

SELF ASSEMBLY OF ABC TRIBLOCK COPOLYMER THIN FILMS ON A BRUSH-COATED SUBSTRATE

Self assemblies of ABC triblock copolymer thin films on a densely brush-coated substrate were investigated by using the self-consistent field theory.The middle block B and the coated polymer form one phase and the alternating phase A and phase C occur when the film is very thin either for the neutral or selective hard surface(which is opposite to the brushcoated substrate).The lamellar phase is stable on the hard surface when it is neutral and interestingly,the short block tends to stay on this hard surf...     

Sphere-to-rod transition of short-chain PEO-b-PDMS-b-PEO in aqueous solution induced by copolymer concentration

A short-chain triblock copolymer EO9-DMS7-EO9 was synthesized by coupling reaction of allyl-terminated poly（ethylene oxide） and Si-H-terminated poly（dimethylsiloxane）. The structure and purity of synthesized copolymer was carefully characterized. Self-assembly behavior of EO9-DMST-EO9 triblock copolymer in water was investigated. And it was found that along with the increase of copolymer concentration, morphology of self-assembled aggregates transits from sphere to rod. A plausible understanding of the morphology transition for the investigated triblock copolymer was proposed.     

Effect of Oxygen on Surface Properties and Drug Release Behavior of Plasma Polymer of n-Butyl Methacrylate

The effects of oxygen on the chemical structure, morphology, hydrophilicity and drug release behavior of radio-frequency plasma poly n- butyl methacrylate （PPBMA） thin film were carded out for the first time. ATR-FTIR and XPS showed that oxygen had little influence on the chemical structure and composition of PPBMAs, which did not agree with the thought that the presence of oxygen gas would increase the oxidized carbon functionalities in the plasma polymer. SEM and static contact angle measurement indicated that in case of deposition with oxygen, the smoothness and hydrophilicity of PPBMA were dramatically improved. The drug release behavior showed that drug release from the PPBMA coating without oxygen was biphasic patterns, while from PPBMA coating with oxygen was Higuchi release. These results were helpful for the design and tailoring of the PPBMA polymer film and other of plasma polymers film, but could provide a new idea for the drug release controlled form.     

Structures and growth mechanisms of poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) crystallized from solution and thin melt film

The spherulitic structures and morphologies of poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) crystallized from a so- lution and a thin melt film were investigated in this study. The formation mechanisms of banded spherulites under different crystallization conditions are proposed. It was found that the formation of banded spherulites was caused by the rhythmic crystal growth of the spherulites and lamellar twisting growth for the polymer crystallization from a thin melt film and a solution, respectively.     

Getting to the bottom morphology of block copolymer thin films

We demonstrate a general approach for attaining the bottom morphology of block copolymer(BCP) thin films. In our former measurements on PS-b-PMMA films, surface morphology maps of the BCP films revealed distinct ordering regimes where the cylinders orient predominantly perpendicular or parallel to the interface and an ‘intermediate' regime where these morphologies coexist. However, this earlier work did not explore the bottom morphology of BCP thin films. In this study, we investigated the block copolymer morphology near the solid substrate in the cast block copolymer film having a perpendicular cylinder morphology on the surface.     

Preparation and Characterization of Nano-Structured SiO2 Thin Films on Carbon Steel

Nano-structured SiO2 thin films were prepared on the surface of carbon steel for the first time by LPD. The compositions of the films were analyzed by XPS, and the surface morphology of the thin films were observed by AFM. The thin films were constituted by compact particles of SiO2, and there was no Fe in the films. In the process of film forming, the SiO2 colloid particles were deposited or absorbed directly onto the surface of carbon steel substrates that were activated by acid solution containing inhibitor, and corrosion of the substrates was avoided. The nano-structured SiO2 thin films that were prepared had excellent protective efficiency to the carbon.     

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.     

Preparation of Nano-crystalline Tungsten Carbide Thin Film by Magnetron Sputtering and Their Electrocatalytic Property for PNP Reduction

Nano-crystalline tungsten carbide thin films were deposited on Ni substrates by magnetron sputtering using WC as target material. The crystal structure and morphology of the thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） Electrochemical investigations showed that the electrode of the thin film exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity in the reaction of p-nitrophenol （PNP） reduction. FT-IR analysis indicated that p-aminophenol （PAP） was synthesized after two step reduction of PNP on nano-crystalline tungsten carbide thin film electrode.     

Temperature Controlled Lateral Pattern Formation in Confined Polymer Thin Films

The thermal induced topography change in a model system consisting of a polymer film on a Si substrate capped by a thin metal layer has been studied by using AFM. Regular lateral patterns over large areas were observed on the surface when the system was heated to a sufficiently high temperature. 2D-FFT analysis to the AFM images indicates that the patterns are isotropic and have well defined periodicities. The periodicities of the characteristic patterns are found to depend strongly on the annealing temperature. The study of the ki-netics of the formation reveals that such a topography forms almost instantaneously once the critical tempera-ture is reached. It is suggested that this wave-like surface morphology is driven by the thermal expansion co-efficient mismatch of the different layers. This method for generating regular wave-like patterns could be used as a general method for patterning various organic materials into micro/nanostructures.     

Site-specific Deposition of Colloidal Pd Nanoparticles on Self-assembled Microtubules from Biolipid

Lipid microtubules with wound ribbon features were fabricated by self-assembling method, and the deposition patterns of colloidal Pd particles on tubular template were investigated. The result indicates that colloidal Pd nanoparticles are preferentially decorated on the helical markings in the interior and on the exterior of preformed tubule and to the edge of loosely helical ribbons to obtain helical deposition features. The multi-bilayer microstructure of tubules can be marked by fine Pd nanoparticles deposited at the edge of helical ribbon. There are the site-specific interactions between lipid tubular template and colloidal Pd particles at the helical edge. A new route was illustrated that colloidal Pd particles firstly attach at the edge of thin flat membranes, and then thin membranes roll up and reassemble into tubule together with particles to form helical deposition patterns. The site-specific deposition of Pd is unbeneficial to obtain the homogeneous metal film on tubules, but it can be utilized to reveal the different chemical nature of lipid molecular assembly.     

STRUCTURE OF CRYSTALLINE DOMAINS IN SEMICRYSTALLINE BLOCK COPOLYMER THIN FILMS

Thin film morphology of a symmetric semicrystalline oxyethylene/oxybutylene diblock copolymer （E76B38） on silicon was investigated by tapping mode atomic force microscopy （AFM）. It is found that the nascent thin film is composed of multiple polymer layers having mixed thicknesses of L ≈ L0 and L ≈ L0/2 （L0 is the long period of the block copolymer in bulk） besides the first layer near the substrate. This shows that the crystalline domain in the block copolymer consists of double poly（oxyethylene） layers. Annealing leads to disappearance of the polymer layers with thickness L ≈L0/2, indicating that such polymer layers are metastable.     

Morphologies and Structures of Perovskite Thin Film on Zn-face and O-face of ZnO Single Crystal

ZnO single crystal was used as the substrate to study the effect of ZnO crystal plane polarity on the morphology and structure of CH_3NH_3PbI_3(MAPbI_3) perovskite film and carrier transport properties,which is meaningful for improving ZnO-based perovskite solar cell. It is found that perovskite thin film has small grain size(about 190 nm) and high coverage rate on the O-face of ZnO single crystal,and the dominant exposed crystal plane of perovskite film is(110) plane. While the MAPbI_3 thin film has large grain size(about 1.03 μm) and low coverage rate on the Zn-face,and the(022) plane is dominantly exposed for the perovskite film. The injection of photogenerated electrons from MAPbI_3 film into the O-face of ZnO single crystal is faster and more effective than that to Zn-face. It is supposed that O-face is more suitable for ZnO single crystal based perovskite cell fabrication than Zn-face.     

CO2-sensitive amphiphilic triblock copolymer self-assembly morphology transition and accelerating drug release from polymeric vesicle

A series of triblock copolymers,containing a CO2-switchable block poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDM) block and two symmetrical hydrophilic blocks polyacrylamide (PAM),were synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method.The pH and conductivity tests showed that the triblock copolymer exhibited switchable responsiveness to CO2,i.e.a relatively low conductivity of solution could be switched on and off by bubbling and removing of CO2,and the triblock copolymer aqueous solution displayed a CO2-switchable viscosity variation.The changes were all attributed to protonation of tertiary amine groups in PDM blocks and proven by 1H-NMR.Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering characterization demonstrated that the viscosity variation was the result of a unilamellar vesicle-network aggregate structure transition.The release of rhodamine B from the vesicles with and without CO2 stimuli showed the potential application in drug delivery domains;after CO2 bubbling,the drug release rate could be accelerated.Finally,reasonable mechanism of CO2-switchable morphology changes and CO2-induced drug release was proposed.     

Effect of initial precursor concentration on TiO2 thin film nanostructures prepared by PCVD system

TiO₂ thin film was prepared on Si substrate by plasma chemical vapor deposition（PCVD） system and the morphologies of TiO₂ thin film were controlled by adjusting the initial precursor concentration.As the initial titanium tetra-isopropoxide（TTIP） concentration increases in PCVD reactor,the shapes of TiO₂ particles generated in PCVD reactor change from the spherical small-sized particles around 20 nm and spherical large-sized particles around 60 nm to aggregate particles around 100 nm.The TiO₂ particles with different shapes deposit on the substrate and become the main building blocks of resulting TiO₂ thin film.We observed the TiO₂ thin film with smooth morphology at low initial TTIP concentration,granular morphology at medium initial TTIP concentration,and columnar morphology at high initial TTIP concentration.It is proposed that we can prepare the TiO₂ thin film with controlled morphologies in one-step process just by adjusting the initial precursor concentration in PCVD.     

铁氰化锰修饰玻碳电极的制备及其电化学性能

A thin film of manganese hexacyanoferrate （MnHCF） was electrochemically formed on a glassy carbon （GC） electrode to prepare a chemically modified electrode （CME）. The mechanism of film formation of MnHCF and its growth process were investigated in detail by cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the stoichiometric composition of MnHCF is Mn^ⅢFe^Ⅲ（CN）6, an analogue of prussian yellow. There exist three clear-cut stages in the whole modification process and the last stage is indispensable to the fabrication of homogenized, stable MnHCF film and must last for an appropriate time. The surface morphology of MnHCF/GC electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, which further verified the effective deposition of MnHCF film on GC. The kinetic constants of MnHCF/GC electrode process were also evaluated. The resulting MnHCF film modified electrode presented good stability and high electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of H2O2, indicating that MnHCF film possesses function of catalase and can be expected for analytical purposes.     

Monte Carlo simulation on layered polymeric films

Thin films of polymer blends composed of alternating copolymer, diblock copolymer and/or homopolymer are studied using Monte Carlo simulation. A multilayer morphology is observed in the film, that is, the blended polymers assemble into individual domains arranged from interior to the surfaces of the film. The coexisting components residing throughout the neighboring domains in the film make no distinguishable interface between any neighboring domains. By this means, it forms a vertical composition gradient in the polymeric film. Being different from layer-by-layer deposition of polyelectrolyte or hydrogen bonding approach etc., the layered structure in this study is formed by polymer blending in one step. Alternating copolymers are found to be essential components to form vertical composition gradient （layered structure） in thin films.     

Detection of free surface composition and molecular-level structural development of styrene(S)/butadiene(B) block copolymer films during a solution-to-film process

The surface chemical structure development in solution-cast styrene(S)/butadiene(B) block copolymer films as a function of solvent evaporation time was investigated using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy(SFG).The surface structure formation of the styrene(S)/butadien(B) block copolymer(30 wt% PS) films during the solution-to-film process was found to be controlled mainly by dynamic factors,such as the mobility of the PB block in solution.For SB diblock copolymers,a pure PB surface layer was formed only when the film was cast by dilute toluene solution.With increasing concentration of casting solution,PB and PS components were found to coexist on the film surface,and the morphology of the PB component on the film surface changed from cylindrical rods to spheres.For SBS triblock copolymers,a small amount of PS component existed on the surface even if the film was cast by 1.0 wt% toluene solution.In addition,PS components at the outermost layer of the film increased and the length of PB cylindrical rods on the surface decreased with increasing concentration of casting solution.     

Fabrication of virus-like particles with strip-pattern surface: A two-step self-assembly approach

Spherical nanostructures with striped patterns on the surfaces resembling the essential structures of natural virus particles were constructed through a two-step self-assembly approach of polystyrene-boligo(acrylic acid)(PS-b-oligo-AA) and poly(γ-benzyI L-glutamate)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)(PBLG-bPEG) copolymer mixtures in solution.On the basis of difference in hydrophilicity and self-assembly properties of the two copolymers,the two-step self-assembly process is realized.It was found that PS-boligo-AA copolymers formed spherical aggregates by adding a certain amount of water into polymer solutions in the first step.In the second step,two polymer solutions were mixed and water was further added,inducing the self-assembly of PBLG-b-PEG on the surfaces of PS-b-oligo-AA spheres to form striped patterns.In-depth study was conducted for the indispensable defects of striped patterns which are dislocations and +1/2 disclinations.The influencing factors such as the mixing ratio of two copolymers and the added water content in the first step on the morphology and defects of the striped patterns were investigated.This work not only presents an idea to interpret mechanism of the cooperative self-assembly behavior,but also provides an effective approach to construct virus-like particles and other complex structures with controllable morphology.     

Solution Crystallization Behavior of Linear and Star-shaped Poly(ethylene glycol)-b-Poly(ε-caprolactone) Block Copolymers简

Lamellar crystals of diblock, triblock and four-arm poly（ethylene glycol）-b-poly（ε-caprolactone） （PEG-b-PCL） crystalline-crystalline copolymers were successfully obtained from their solution. Morphology and structure of lamellar crystals of crystalline-crystalline copotymers were investigated using tapping-mode atomic force microscopy （AFM） and selected area electron diffraction （SAED）. All of these samples showed the truncated-lozenge multilayer basal shapes with central screw dislocation or central stack, which were all obtained simultaneously from the oil bath. The diffraction pattern of PEG block lamellar crystal is attributed to the （120） diffracting planes and the pattern of PCL block lamellar crystal is attributed to the （1 I0） diffracting planes and （200） diffracting planes according to the SAED results. Four （110） crystal growth planes and two （200） crystal growth planes are discovered for the PCL blocks, but the （120） crystal growth planes of PEG blocks are hided in the figure of AFM. The crystalline structure of the four-arm copolymers （FA） is more disorder and confused than that of the diblock （DI） copolymer and the striated fold surface structures of lamellar crystals of four-arm copolymers （FA） are smoother than these of linear analogues, owing to the confused crystallization of blocks caused by the mutual restriction of blocks and the hindrance of the dendritic cores. In addition, the aspect ratio of FA is greater than that of the others. It is hypothesized that there are two reasons for the change of aspect ratios. First, the （200） diffracting planes of PCL crystals grew slowly compared to their （110） diffracting planes because of difference in the energy barrier. Secondly, edge dislocations on the （200） diffracting planes are also responsible for the variation of the aspect ratio. Consequently, the crystalline defects are augmented by the competing blocks crystallized simultaneously and the hindrance of the dendritic cores.