New fluoropolymer materials

We report the synthesis of two classes of fluoropolymers that could impact several key lithographic techniques; one has potential applications in next generation photolithography (193 nm, 157 nm, and immersion lithography) and the other in lithographic techniques which are emerging as viable alternatives to photolithography for future applications (i.e., soft lithography).     

Perspective in polymer science and technology

Scientific, and technological developments of polymers will tend to increase their attitude to substitute different materials (ceramics, metals, glasses. wood). Substitution and penetration process of polymers will follow different routes mostly having as objective the realization of systems specific functions suitable then to be more and more market oriented. The possibilities to realize these goals will require strong efforts of basic and applied research.     

Thermodynamics,handmaiden to science and technology

Generally, the only items of reference data with real economic impact are—except in a few instances—the basic values from which the standard enthalpy increment of reactions and the Gibbs energy of formation of the substances involved in the reaction. The energetic requirements of chemical processing mandate exact values here as well as for rather precise Gibbs energies needed for evaluation of equilibrium constants. Even here the contribution may lie less in the intrinsic value of that accuracy than in the implicit reliability and ready availability of the tables. CODATA's endeavors and scientific task groups dealing with fundamental constants, key values for thermodynamics, internationalization and systematization of thermodynamic tables to assist chemical industry are noted.     

Characteristics and durability of fluoropolymer thin films

The use of plasma-polymerised fluoropolymer (CF_xO_y) thin films in the manufacture of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices is well-established, being employed in the passivation step of the deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) process, for example. This paper presents an investigation of the effect of exposure to organic and aqueous liquid media on plasma-polymerised CF_xO_y thin films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic wetting measurements were all employed as characterisation techniques. Highly basic aqueous solutions, including known silicon etchants, were found to cause delamination via degradation of the countersurface below the CF_xO_y thin film. Films were found to be stable in organic solvents, acidic aqueous solutions and slightly basic aqueous solutions.     

Special topic on soft matter science and technology

正Soft matter,as first proposed by de Gennes in 1991,describes a broad range of molecular systems exhibiting a large response to small foreign stimuli.Typically,it includes colloidal particles,amphiphiles,liquid crystals,polymers and others.The termsoftoriginates from the common macroscopic properties of these systems and differentiates them from conventionalhardmaterials.Over the past decades,the field ofsoft matterhas progressed tremendously.Today,it is a truly multidisciplinary research endeavor bridging physics with chemistry and life science.     

Limit values and the boundaries of science and technology

Limit values are an important instrument of regulatory science and politics.¹ The focus of this article is on occupational exposure limits in the Federal Republic of Germany from the 1950s to the 1980s. Public statements of a chairman of a regulatory commission are studied with respect to the representation of the relationship of science and technology. The article closes with some thoughts about the coincidence of models for the relationship between science and technology dominating innovation theory with models underlying regulation.     

Irreversible electrowetting on thin fluoropolymer films

A study was conducted to investigate electrowetting reversibility associated with repeated voltage actuations for an aqueous droplet situated on a silicon dioxide insulator coated with an amorphous fluoropolymer film ranging in thickness from 20 to 80 nm. The experimental results indicate that irreversible trapped charge may occur at the aqueous-solid interface, giving rise to contact angle relaxation. The accumulation of trapped charge was found to be related to the applied electric field intensity and the breakdown strength of the fluoropolymer. On the basis of the data, an empirical model was developed to estimate the amount of trapped charge in the fluoropolymer as well as the voltage threshold for the onset of irreversible electrowetting.     

An industrial view of polymer science in the next decade

Nearly thirty years go when I left graduate school at the University of Michigan and joined General Electric's Research Laboratory, I was impressed by the diversity and vitality of the polymer industry worldwide and by the opportunities for polymer science and technology to make that industry even larger, stronger and more diverse. Most of all, I was excited at the prospect of being a contributor to that future. I'm still excited to be a part of that industry and especially pleased at this conference to be in the presence of the many outstanding individuals who have created today's polymer science and technology, and to be in the presence of those who will create tomorrow's.     

Metamaterials: a new frontier of science and technology

Metamaterials, artificial composite structures with exotic material properties, have emerged as a new frontier of science involving physics, material science, engineering and chemistry. This critical review focuses on the fundamentals, recent progresses and future directions in the research of electromagnetic metamaterials. An introduction to metamaterials followed by a detailed elaboration on how to design unprecedented electromagnetic properties of metamaterials is presented. A number of intriguing phenomena and applications associated with metamaterials are discussed, including negative refraction, sub-diffraction-limited imaging, strong optical activities in chiral metamaterials, interaction of meta-atoms and transformation optics. Finally, we offer an outlook on future directions of metamaterials research including but not limited to three-dimensional optical metamaterials, nonlinear metamaterials and "quantum" perspectives of metamaterials (142 references).     

Applications of surface analysis in materials science and technology

Summary Surface analytical methods such as AES, ESCA, SIMS, RBS, ISS, GDOES and others have been at the disposal of materials researchers for about two decades. In many cases, the challenge of materials research has stimulated innovations or improvements in analytical techniques, and conversely, improved analytical tools have encouraged materials scientists to tackle problems which previously had appeared forbiddingly complicated. The interplay of analytical developments and progress in the understanding and manipulation of materials behaviour is reviewed, using as examples such widely different areas of technology and science as grain boundary segregation and embrittlement; fabrication and characterization of microelectronics devices; adhesion and tribology; automotive steel plate, and progress in quantitative techniques in surface analysis.

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Anwendungen der Oberflächenanalytik in Werkstoffwissenschaft und Werkstofftechnik

     

Opportunities and threats in polymer based materials science and technology

Despite the fact that materials research has completed an innovative and exciting decade from a fundamental science perspective, the fact remains that at the exploitation stage commercial returns on the R&T Investment made by large companies has been poor. In this article we look at one such company's experience; at the general challenge of maintaining a strategic research capability in the face of drastic business reorganisation and address some of the interesting challenges and threats for the polymer community (in academe and industry) over the next decade.     

Hydrophobic thin fluoropolymer coating on cotton surfaces

We report a simple novel procedure to prepare hydrophobic cotton textiles by admicellar polymerization. By in situ introducing fluoropolymer on cotton fibers to generate a dual-size surface roughness, followed by hydrophobization with a little amount of fluoromonomer Octafluoropentamethyl methacrylate (OFPM) with short time, normally hydrophilic cotton has been easily turned into hydrophobic. Hydrophobic cotton textile exhibits a static water contact angle of 124° for a 10?µl droplet. When an octa fluoroalkyl chain is introduced to the cotton surface, the originally smooth surface changed immediately to rough surface which is the key factor for hydrophobicity like lotus leaves.