Persistence of nematic liquid crystalline phase in a polyfluorene‐based organic semiconductor: A high pressure study

The role of high pressure on a low molecular weight nematic liquid crystalline organic semiconductor, ethyl‐hexyl substituted polyfluorene (PF2/6) is investigated using photoluminescence (PL), Raman scattering, and X‐ray scattering studies at pressures from 1 to 8 GPa. The PL and the Raman data under pressure are consistent with each other with no abrupt changes in the pressure coefficients of PL or Raman peaks. The PL energies redshift and broaden, consistent with both enhanced intra‐ and interchain interactions. The Raman peak positions yield pressure coefficients similar to other phenyl based π‐conjugated polymers. The broadening of a doublet peak in the 1135 cm^?1 region indicates a more planar backbone conformation with increasing pressure. X‐ray scattering indicates that the torsion angle between adjacent repeats reduces with increasing pressure and reverts back with decompression. The intermolecular structure is weakly ordered (frozen nematic) and essentially maintained with increasing pressure, in contrast to a high molecular weight PF2/6. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1014–1023     

Pulsed laser thin film growth of di-octyl substituted polyfluorene and its co-polymers

Matrix-assisted pulsed laser deposition (PLD) allows a controlled layer-by-layer growth of polymer films. Di-octyl substituted polyfluorene (PF8) and its copolymers were deposited as thin films using matrix-assisted PLD by employing a KrF excimer laser with a fluence of 125 mJ/pulses. The optical and structural properties of these films are compared with spincoated films via Raman spectroscopy, absorption and photoluminescence. The Raman spectra of both PLD and spincoated films are similar indicating that the polymer films deposited via PLD maintain their molecular structure. Both the spincoated and the PLD grown PF8 films that were cast from toluene show the presence of the β phase. Benzothiadiazole substituted PF8 (F8BT) and butyl phenyl-substituted PF8 (PFB) PLD grown films show a slightly broader emission compared to the spincoated films, which is attributed to an enhanced intermolecular interaction in the PLD grown thin films.     

Characterization of Chickpea Flour by Near Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics

Near infrared (NIR) spectrometry was used for the rapid characterization of quality parameters in desi chickpea flour (besan). Partial least square regression, principal component regression (PCR), interval partial least squares (iPLS), and synergy interval partial least squares (siPLS) were used to determine the protein, carbohydrate, fat, and moisture concentrations of besan. Spectra were collected in reflectance mode using a lab-built predispersive filter-based instrument from 700 to 2500?nm. The quality parameters were also determined by standard methods. The root mean square error (RMSE) for the calibration and validation sets was used to evaluate the performance of the models. The correlation coefficients for moisture, fat, protein, and carbohydrates in chickpea flour exceeded 0.96 using PLS and PCR models using the full spectral range. Wavelengths from 2100 to 2345?nm had the lowest RMSE for quality parameters by iPLS. The error was further decreased by 0.41, 0.1, and 1.1% for carbohydrates, fats, and proteins by siPLS. The NIR spectral regions yielding the lowest RMSE of prediction were 1620–2345?nm for carbohydrates, 1180–1590?nm and 1860–2094?nm for fat, and 1700–2345?nm for proteins. The study shows that chickpea flour quality parameters were accurately determined using the optimized wavelengths.     

Enhanced mobility and environmental stability in all organic field‐effect transistors: The role of high dipole moment solvent

Low‐operating voltage, high mobility, and stable organic field‐effect transistors (OFETs) using polymeric dielectrics such as pristine poly(4‐vinyl phenol) (PVP) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), dissolved in solvents of high dipole moment, have been achieved. High dipole moment solvents such as propylene carbonate and dimethyl sulfoxide used for dissolving the polymer dielectric enhance the charge carrier mobilities by three orders of magnitude in pentacene OFETs compared with low dipole moment solvents. Fast switching circuits with patterned gate PVP‐based pentacene OFETs demonstrated a switching frequency of 75 kHz at input voltages of |5 V|. The frequency response of the OFETs is attributed to a high degree of dipolar‐order in dielectric films obtained from high‐polarity solvents and the resulting energetically ordered landscape for transport. Remarkably, these pentacene‐based OFETs exhibited high stability under bias stress and in air with negligible shifts in the threshold voltage. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 1533–1542