3D‐morphology reconstruction of nanoscale phase‐separation in polymer memory blends |
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| Authors: | Vsevolod Khikhlovskyi Albert J. J. M. van Breemen Jasper J. Michels René A. J. Janssen Gerwin H. Gelinck Martijn Kemerink |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands;2. Holst Centre, TNO‐The Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research, The Netherlands;3. Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI), Germany;4. Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Link?ping University, Sweden |
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| Abstract: | In many organic electronic devices functionality is achieved by blending two or more materials, typically polymers or molecules, with distinctly different optical or electrical properties in a single film. The local scale morphology of such blends is vital for the device performance. Here, a simple approach to study the full 3D morphology of phase‐separated blends, taking advantage of the possibility to selectively dissolve the different components is introduced. This method is applied in combination with AFM to investigate a blend of a semiconducting and ferroelectric polymer typically used as active layer in organic ferroelectric resistive switches. It is found that the blend consists of a ferroelectric matrix with three types of embedded semiconductor domains and a thin wetting layer at the bottom electrode. Statistical analysis of the obtained images excludes the presence of a fourth type of domains. The criteria for the applicability of the presented technique are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1231–1237 |
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| Keywords: | AFM phase separation organic memory selective dissolution thin films |
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