Thermoanalytical methods in the study of inorganic thin films

Thermoanalytical (TA) methods are relatively seldom applied for assessing the physical and chemical proeprties of thin films, but they can be used in studies of composition, phase transitions and film—substrate interactions. In the present paper the possibilities of TA methods in thin film studies are reviewed. The thermoanalytical methods considered are the classical TG and DTA/DSC methods but some complementary methods will also be briefly mentioned. The main emphasis is given to true thin films. Details of sample preparation are also given. An important application of TA methods is characterization of precursors for the CVD growth of thin films, and this is also discussed.     

The application of dielectric analysis to drying latex films

Measurements of real and imaginary capacitance (C andC) have been made during the drying of a film-forming latex. In one experiment dielectric measurements at frequencies between 1 Hz and 100 kHz were made simultaneously with gravimetric measurements on a microbalance. It was found that both the rate of water evaporation and the a.c. conductance decrease sharply at high polymer volume fraction. These results are discussed qualitatively in terms of a model for the film-forming process. In another experimentC andC were recorded at 10 Hz along with automatic measurements of the build-up of the scratch resistance of the film. It was found that the mechanical response to film-formation appears significantly earlier than the dielectric response. This is also discussed qualitatively in terms of the model.The authors would like to thank Dr. I. Abrahams, Dr. S. Bell, and Dr. M. Reading for useful discussions regarding this work and M. Bahra for his help with the TFA measurements.     

Surfactant in the gaseous phase II. Influence on stability of foams and thin liquid films

The influence of the vapors ofn-amyl orn-decyl alcohol on the stability of single thin liquid films, single bubbles, and foam columns was determined. It was found that the presence of surfactant vapors lowered the stability of foams and single foam films. The mechanism of the destabilizing action of the surfactant vapors on wet, dynamic foams under dynamic conditions is discussed. It is shown that the destabilizing action of the surfactant vapors is a further indication that surface elasticity forces are the main factor determining stability of wet, dynamic foams.     

Sol-Gel Synthesis of Humidity-Sensitive P2O5-SiO2 Amorphous Films

The sol-gel synthesis of silicophosphate gels using phosphoryl chloride and tetraethoxysilane as molecular precursors is reported and discussed. Gel-derived glasses and films having the molar compositions 10P₂O₅ · 90SiO₂ and 30P₂O₅ · 70SiO₂ have been obtained. The structure of the dried gels as well as the structural modifications that occurs during the transformations in gel-derived glasses are analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It has been found that the evidence of the P—O—Si linkages begins to appear only on the FTIR spectra of the bulk gels heat treated up to 400°C while they are well resolved on the FTIR spectra of the bulk gel samples heated up to 1000°C indicating that at this temperature the transformation in the corresponding gel-derived glasses occurs. The humidity sensitive properties of the gel-films have been evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The phosphorous content as well as the temperature of the heat treatments strongly affect the sensitivity to RH of the gel-derived films.     

Smart Biopolymer-Based Nanocomposite Materials Containing pH-Sensing Colorimetric Indicators for Food Freshness Monitoring

Nanocomposite biopolymer materials containing colorimetric pH-responsive indicators were prepared from gelatin and chitosan nanofibers. Plant-based extracts from barberry and saffron, which both contained anthocyanins, were used as pH indicators. Incorporation of the anthocyanins into the biopolymer films increased their mechanical, water-barrier, and light-screening properties. Infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that a uniform biopolymer matrix was formed, with the anthocyanins distributed evenly throughout them. The anthocyanins in the composite films changed color in response to alterations in pH or ammonia gas levels, which was used to monitor changes in the freshness of packaged fish during storage. The anthocyanins also exhibited antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, which meant that they could also be used to slow down the degradation of the fish. Thus, natural anthocyanins could be used as both freshness indicators and preservatives in biopolymer-based nanocomposite packaging materials. These novel materials may therefore be useful alternatives to synthetic plastics for some food packaging applications, thereby improving the environmental friendliness and sustainability of the food supply.     

ZnO薄膜的椭偏和DLTS特性

用射频磁控溅射在硅衬底上淀积氧化锌薄膜,并对样品分别作氮气、空气、氧气等不同条件下退火处理。为研究退火气氛对ZnO/Si薄膜中缺陷以及折射率的影响,由深能级瞬态谱(DLTS)以及椭偏测量方法进行了检测。椭偏测量结果表明相对原始生长的样品,在氮气和空气退火使ZnO薄膜折射率下降,但氧气中退火使折射率升高。我们对折射率的这种变化机理进行了解释。DLTS测量得到一个与Zni**相关的深能级中心E1存在,氧气气氛退火可以消除E1能级。在氮气退火情况下Zn*i*的存在对抑制VO引起的薄膜折射率下降有利。     

薄膜生长速率对有机光伏器件性能的影响

采用真空热蒸发镀膜的方法制备了酞菁铜(CuPc)和富勒烯(C60)构成的平面异质结结构光伏器件,并初步研究了CuPc薄膜生长速率对器件光伏性能的影响,我们发现以较大薄膜生长速率制备的器件表现出较大的短路电流和能量转换效率。X射线衍射和原子力显微镜观察的结果表明生长速率较大的CuPc薄膜结晶相含量较少,薄膜结构较均匀、致密、平整,这可能使得CuPc薄膜激子扩散和载流子迁移特性得到提高,也可能改善其与C60受主薄膜和ITO阳极的接触,并有利于载流子的分离和收集,从而表现出较好的光伏特性。     

柔性有机电致发光器件导电基板的工艺性能

在聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)柔性衬底上采用直流磁控溅射技术制备了氧化铟锡(ITO)透明导电薄膜,研究了衬底温度、溅射功率和溅射压强等工艺条件对薄膜光电性能的影响,并利用原子力显微镜(AFM)表征了衬底及ITO薄膜的表面形貌。结果表明,在PET衬底温度50℃、溅射功率100W和溅射压强2.66×10-1Pa的条件下,可以得到低方阻(50Ω/□)和高透过率(>90%)的透明导电薄膜。以此柔性ITO衬底为阳极,制备了结构为PET/ITO/NPB/Alq3/Mg∶Ag的柔性有机电致发光器件,在驱动电压为13V时,器件的发光亮度达到了2834cd/m2。     

不同重力下窄通道内薄材料表面的火焰传播

在常重力下模拟微重力燃烧对载人航天器的火灾安全具有重要意义.窄通道就是这样一种可以有效限制自然对流的模拟设施.但是,不同重力下火焰传播的相似性仍然是有待研究的问题.本文用实验和数值模拟的方法,比较了不同重力下有限空间内热薄材料表面的逆风传播火焰.不同重力下火焰形状和火焰传播速度的比较表明,1cm高的水平窄通道可以有效地限制自然对流,在常重力下用这种通道能够模拟微重力下相同几何尺寸的通道中的火焰传播.因此,在地面上首先利用水平窄通道,模拟相同环境中的微重力火焰传播,然后考虑通道尺寸变化对火焰传播的影响,有可能成为地面模拟其他尺寸的空间中的微重力燃烧的方法.