Structural and electrical properties of crystalline (1−x)Ta2O5−xTiO2 thin films fabricated by metalorganic decomposition

Polycrystalline (1−x)Ta₂O₅−xTiO₂ thin films were formed on Si by metalorganic decomposition (MOD) and annealed at various temperatures. As-deposited films were in the amorphous state and were completely transformed to crystalline after annealing above 600 °C. During crystallization, a thin interfacial SiO₂ layer was formed at the (1−x)Ta₂O₅−xTiO₂/Si interface. Thin films with 0.92Ta₂O₅–0.08TiO₂ composition exhibited superior insulating properties. The measured dielectric constant and dissipation factor at 1 MHz were 9 and 0.015, respectively, for films annealed at 900 °C. The interface trap density was 2.5×10¹¹ cm⁻² eV⁻¹, and flatband voltage was −0.38 V. A charge storage density of 22.8 fC/μm² was obtained at an applied electric field of 3 MV/cm. The leakage current density was lower than 4×10⁻⁹ A/cm² up to an applied electric field of 6 MV/cm.     

Tuning size and catalytic activity of nano-clusters of cobalt oxide

Cobalt oxides were prepared by three different methods: (1) by reacting cobalt nitrate with oxalic acid, (2) co-precipitating cobalt nitrate with sodium carbonate, and (3) using sodium dodecyl sulphate as organic surfactant. All three samples were characterized before and after calcination by solvent extraction and the resulting products examined by IR spectroscopy. In the case of method 3, the removal of surfactant was followed by TGA studies. Products from all three methods were identified by XRD. Peaks in low angle XRD indicate the porous nature of the oxides. The morphology of the pores was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Some irregular pore structures were obtained for samples from methods 1 and 2, with an average size of 4–6 nm. Only the product from method 3 using SDS as template showed ordered structure and optimum size, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller surface areas of the as-prepared, as well as the treated samples, exhibited H3 type hysteresis. The samples from the three methods were used as catalysts in the oxidation reaction of cyclohexane under mild conditions and the catalytic efficiency of the cobalt oxide was comparable with mesoporous cobalt oxides.     

Orientation and relaxation of polymer–clay solutions studied by rheology and small-angle neutron scattering

The influence of shear on viscoelastic solutions of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and clay [montmorillonite, i.e., Cloisite NA+ (CNA)] was investigated with rheology and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The steady-state viscosity and SANS were used to measure the shear-induced orientation and relaxation of the polymer and clay platelets. Anisotropic scattering patterns developed at much lower shear rates than in pure clay solutions. The scattering anisotropy saturated at low shear rates, and the CNA clay platelets aligned with the flow, with the surface normal parallel to the gradient direction. The cessation of shear led to partial and slow randomization of the CNA platelets, whereas extremely fast relaxation was observed for laponite (LRD) platelets. These PEO–CNA networklike solutions were compared with previously reported PEO–LRD networks, and the differences and similarities, with respect to the shear orientation, relaxation, and polymer–clay interactions, were examined. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3102–3112, 2004     

Thickness of a silica-tethered poly(ethylene oxide) layer measured by spin labeling

EPR spectroscopy of labeled poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) grafted on silica has been used to characterize the conformation and local dynamics of the chains. Grafted molecules of MW 2000 with grafting ratios of 0.045, 0.057, 0.126, and 0.42 molecules/nm² were in contact with benzene. The mobility of the label was compared with that observed for solution of PEO from very diluted to highly concentrated and even bulk PEO. Thus, the concentration inside the grafted layer could be evaluated and also the thickness, which evolves rather linearly with the grafting ratio. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Heterograft copolymers of poly(ε‐caprolactone) prepared by combination of ATRA “grafting onto” and ATRP “grafting from” processes

This paper aims at reporting on the synthesis of a heterograft copolymer by combining the “grafting onto” process based on atom transfer radical addition (ATRA) and the “grafting from” process by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The statistical copolymerization of ε‐caprolactone (εCL) and α‐chloro‐ε‐caprolactone (αClεCL) was initiated by 2,2‐dibutyl‐2‐stanna‐1,3‐dioxepane (DSDOP), followed by ATRA of parts of the chlorinated units of poly(αClεCL‐co‐εCL) on the terminal double bond of α‐MeO,ω‐CH₂?CH? CH₂? CO₂‐poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The amphiphilic poly(εCL‐g‐EO) graft copolymer collected at this stage forms micelles as supported by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The unreacted pendant chloro groups of poly(εCL‐g‐EO) were used to initiate the ATRP of styrene with formation of copolymer with two populations of randomly distributed grafts, that is PEO and polystyrene. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 6015–6024, 2006     

Synthesis of new thermosetting poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)s containing epoxide pendant groups

A new class of thermosetting poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide)s containing pendant epoxide groups were synthesized and characterized. These new epoxy polymers were prepared through the bromination of poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) in halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons followed by a Wittig reaction to yield vinyl‐substituted polymer derivatives. The treatment of the vinyl‐substituted polymers with m‐chloroperbenzoic acid led to the formation of epoxidized poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) with variable pendant ratios, and the structures and properties were studied with nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and gel permeation chromatography. The ratios of pendant functional groups were tailored for the polymer properties, and the results showed that the glass‐transition temperatures increased as the benzylic protons were replaced by bromo‐, vinyl‐, or epoxide‐functional groups, whereas the thermal stability decreased in comparison with the original polymer. Within a molar fraction of 20–50%, the degree of functionalization had little effect on the glass‐transition temperature; however, it correlated inversely with the thermal stability of each functionalized polymer. The thermal curing behavior of the epoxide‐functionalized polymer was enhanced by the increment of the pendant functionality, which resulted in a significant increase in the glass‐transition temperature as well as the thermal stability after the curing reaction. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 5875–5886, 2006     

Synthesis of poly(ethylene oxide) with pending 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl groups and its further initiation of the grafting polymerization of styrene

A new stratagem for the synthesis of amphiphilic graft copolymers of hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) as the main chain and hydrophobic polystyrene as the side chains is suggested. A poly(ethylene oxide) with pending 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyls [poly(4‐glycidyloxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl‐co‐ethylene oxide)] was first prepared by the anionic ring‐opening copolymerization of ethylene oxide and 4‐glycidyloxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl, and then the graft copolymerization of styrene was completed with benzoyl peroxide as the initiator in the presence of poly(4‐glycidyloxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl‐co‐ethylene oxide). The polymerization of styrene was under control, and comblike, amphiphilic poly(ethylene oxide)‐g‐polystyrene was obtained. The copolymer and its intermediates were characterized with size exclusion chromatography, ¹H NMR, and electron spin resonance in detail. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3836–3842, 2006     

Infrared combination and difference bands of the NO dimer

The mid-infrared (1500-3800 cm⁻¹) absorption spectrum of gaseous nitric oxide has been studied at low temperature (99 K) with a long absorption path (160 m) in order to observe weak combination, difference, and overtone bands of the NO dimer. About ten new bands were assigned with greater or lesser certainty. Combined with previous results, they lead to a set of 12 secure and 7 tentative vibrational term values for (NO)₂, essentially doubling our knowledge of NO dimer vibrational states. The strongest non-fundamental bands in this region, other than the ν₁ (symmetric N-O stretch) + ν₅ (asymmetric N-O stretch) overtone, involve combinations of ν₅ with ν₃ (intermolecular stretch). Excitation of ν₅ results in increased frequencies for the intermolecular modes ν₂, ν₃, and ν₄. A new value of 155.5 cm⁻¹ was obtained for ν₄, the elusive infrared-inactive out-of-plane fundamental vibration.     

Organic phase conversion of bulk (wurtzite) ZnO to nanophase (wurtzite and zinc blende) ZnO

We describe the all-organic phase conversion of bulk commercial ZnO in the wurtzite modification to sub-30 nm ZnO that we find to be partially in the zinc blende [, a=4.568(3) Å] modification. The conversion involves refluxing ZnO in 2,4-pentanedione (acetylacetone) at 413 K to form the zinc 2,4-pentanedionate, which is decomposed by heating at 573 K in an appropriate high-temperature solvent such as dibenzylether to form nanophase ZnO. This nanophase, partially zinc blende ZnO can also be obtained in a single step by heating commercial zinc 2,4-pentanedionate in refluxing dibenzylether. Thermodiffractometry suggests that the conversion of zinc blende ZnO to wurtzite ZnO commences near 650 K.