Dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of plasticized poly(lactic acid)

The blends of low molecular weight triacetin (TAC) and oligomeric poly(1,3-butylene glycol adipate) (PBGA) were used as multiple plasticizers to lubricate poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in this study. The thermal and mechanical properties of plasticized polymers were investigated by means of dynamic mechanical analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyze the morphologies of the blends. Multiple plasticizers were effective in lowering the glass transition temperature (T-g) and the melting temperature (T-m) of PLA. Moreover, crystallinity of PLA increased with increasing the con-tent of multiple plasticizers. Tensile strength of the blends decreased following the increasing of the plasticizers, but increased in elongation at break. AFM topographic images showed that the multiple plasticizers dispersed between interfibrillar regions. Moreover, the fibrillar crystallite formed the quasicrosslinkings, which is another cause for the increase in elongation at break.

Morphology and structures of self-assembled symmetric poly(di-n-alkylsilanes)

The self-assembly of poly(di-n-butylsilane) (PDBS) and poly(di-n-hexylsilane) (PDHS) on the surfaces of amorphous carbon and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have been investigated, respectively. The morphology and structures of these self-assembled thin films were studied by using atomic force microscopy, transmission electronic microscopy, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. In the case of weak van der Waals interactions between absorbed molecules and substrate, i.e., on amorphous carbon, the self-assembly process was driven by absorbate-absorbate intermolecular interactions. For PDBS with weak absorbate-absorbate intermolecular interactions, the thin film showed organization lacking any measurable preferred orientation on the surface of amorphous carbon. While for PDHS with rigid backbone and strong intermolecular interactions, flat-on lamellae with silicon backbones perpendicular to the surface of amorphous carbon were formed. However, in the case of strong van der Waals interactions between absorbed molecules and substrate, i.e., on HOPG, the self-assembly process was tailored by the balance of absorbate-absorbate intermolecular interactions and molecule-substrate interactions. Both PDHS and PDBS thin films grew into edge-on lamellae on the surface of HOPG, which aligned according to a Mold symmetry.

Boundary effect of relief structure on crystallization of diblock copolymer in thin films

In this Letter, crystal growth of a symmetric crystalline-amorphous diblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-epsilon-caprolactone) (PS-b-PCL), in thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), Relief structures of holes and islands were formed during annealing the film at the molten state, and the in situ observation of subsequent crystal growth at room temperature indicated that the crystals were preferred to occur at the edge of holes or islands and grew into the interior area. It was concluded that the stretched PCL blocks at the edge of relief structures, caused by material transportation or deformation of the interface, could act as nucleation agents during polymer crystallization. The crystal growth rate of individual lamellae varied both from lamellae to lamellae and in time, but the area occupied by crystals increased constantly with time. At 22 degreesC, the growth rate was 1.2 x 10(-2) mum(2)/min with the scan size 2 x 2 mum(2).

Crystallization of weakly segregated poly(styrene-b-epsilon-caprolactone) diblock copolymer in thin films

The surface morphology and crystallization behavior of a weakly segregated symmetric diblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-6-caprolactone) (PS-b-PCL), in thin films were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). When the samples were annealed in the molten state, surface-induced ordering, that is, relief structures with uniform thickness or droplets in the adsorbed monolayer, were observed depending on the annealing temperature. The polar PCL block preferred to wet the surface of a silicon wafer, while the PS block wet the air interface. This asymmetric wetting behavior led to the adsorbed monolayer with a PCL block layer having a thickness of around 4.0 nm. The crystallization of PCL blocks could overwhelm the microphase-separated structure because of the weak segregation. In situ observation of crystal growth indicated that the nucleation process preferred to occur at the edge of the thick parts of the film, that is, the relief structures or droplets. The crystal growth rate was presented by the time dependence of the distance between the tip of crystal clusters and the edge. At 22 and 17 degreesC, the average crystal growth rates were 55 +/- 10 and 18 +/- 4 nm/min, respectively.

Sol-gel synthesis and photoluminescent properties of LaPO4 : A (A = Eu3+, Ce3+, Tb3+) nanocrystalline thin films

Rare-earth ion (Eu3+, Tb3+, Ce3+)- doped LaPO4 nanocrystalline thin films and their patterning were fabricated by a Pechini sol-gel process combined with soft lithography on silicon and silica glass substrates. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microcopy (SEM), optical microscopy, absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. The results of XRD indicate that the films begin to crystallize at 700 degreesC and the crystallinity increases with increasing annealing temperature. The morphology of the thin film depends on the annealing temperature and the number of coating layers. The 1000 degreesC annealed single layer film is transparent to the naked eye, uniform and crack-free with a thickness of about 200 nm and an average grain size of 100 nm. Patterned thin films with different strip widths ( 5 - 50 mm) were obtained by micromolding in capillaries ( soft lithography). The doped rare earth ions show their characteristic emission in the nanocrystalline LaPO4 films, i.e., Eu3+ D-5(0)-F-7(J) (J = 1, 2, 3, 4), Tb3+ D-5(3,4) - F-7(J) ( J = 6, 5, 4, 3, 2) and Ce3+ 5d-4f transition emissions, respectively. Both the lifetimes and the PL intensities of Eu3+ and Tb3+ increase with increasing annealing temperature, and the optimum concentrations for them were determined to be 5 mol% and 16 mol% of La3+ in LaPO4 thin films, respectively. An energy transfer phenomenon from Ce3+ to Tb3+ has been observed in LaPO4 nanocrystalline thin films, and the energy transfer efficiency depends on the doping concentration of Tb3+ if the concentration of Ce3+ is fixed.

Preparation, patterning and luminescent properties of oxyapatite La-9.33(SiO6)(4)O-2 : A (A = Eu3+, Tb3+, Ce3+) phosphor films by sol-gel soft lithography

Silicate oxyapatite La-9.33 (SiO6)(4)O-2:A (A = Eu3+, Tb3+ and/or Ce3+) phosphor films and their patterning were fabricated by a sol-gel process combined with soft lithography. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy and photoluminescence spectra, as well as lifetimes, were used to characterize the resulting films. The results of XRD indicated that the films began to crystallize at 800degreesC and the crystallinity increased with the increase in annealing temperatures. Transparent nonpatterned phosphor films were uniform and crack-free, which mainly consisted of rodlike grains with a size between 150 and 210 nm. Patterned thin films with different bandwidths (20, 50 mum) were obtained by the micromoulding in capillaries technique. The doped rare earth ions (Eu3+, Tb3+ and Ce3+) showed their characteristic emission in crystalline La-9.33(SiO6)(4)O-2 phosphor films, i.e. Eu3+ D-5(0)-F-7(J) (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4), Tb3+ D-5(3,4)-F-7(J) (J = 3, 4, 5, 6) and Ce3+ 5d (D-2)-4f (F-2(2/5), F-2(2/7)) emissions, respectively. Both the lifetimes and PL intensity of the Eu3+, Tb3+ ions increased with increasing annealing temperature from 800 to 1100 degreesC, and the optimum concentrations for Eu3+, Tb3+ were determined to be 9 and 7 mol% of La3+ in La-9.33(SiO6)(4)O-2 films, respectively. An energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ was observed in the La-9.33(SiO6)(4)O-2:Ce, Tb phosphor films, and the energy transfer efficiency was estimated as a function of Tb3+ concentration.

Luminescent properties of rare-earth-doped CaWO4 phosphor films prepared by the Pechini sol-gel process

CaWO4 phosphor films doped with rare-earth ions (Eu3+, Dy-,(3+) Sm3+, Er3+) were prepared by the Pechini sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis, atomic force microscopy, and photoluminescence spectra, as well as lifetimes, were used to characterize the resulting powders and films. The results of the XRD analysis indicated that the films began to crystallize at 400degreesC and that the crystallinity increased with elevation of the annealing temperature. The doped rare-earth ions showed their characteristic emissions in crystalline CaWO4 phosphor films due to energy transfer from WO42- groups to them. Both the lifetimes and PL intensities of the doped rare-earth ions increased with increasing annealing temperature, from 500 to 900degreesC, and the optimum concentrations for Eu3+, Dy3+, Sm3+, Er3+ were determined as 30, 1.5, 1.5, 0.5 at.% of Ca2+ in CaWO4 films annealed at 900degreesC, respectively.

Luminescence properties of RP1-xVxO4: A (R=Y, Gd, La; A=Sm3+Er3+ x=0, 0.5, 1) thin films prepared by pechini sol-gel process

Thin film phosphors with compositions of RP1-xVxO4: A (R = Y, Gd, La; A = Sm3+, Et3+; x = 0, 0.5, 1) have been prepared by a Pechini sol-gel process. X-Ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra were utilized to characterize the thin film phosphors. The results of XRD showed that a solid solution formed in YVxP1-xO4: A film series from x = 0 to x = 1 with zircon structure, which also held for GdVO4: A film. However, LaVO4: A film crystallized with a different structure, monazite. AFM study revealed that the phosphor films consisted of homogeneous particles ranging from 90 to 400 nm depending on the compositions. Upon short ultraviolet excitation, the films exhibit the characteristic Sm(3+ 4)G(5/2)-H-6(J) (J=5/2, 7/2, 9/2) emission in the red region and Er3+ H-2(11/2), S-4(3/2)-I-4(15/2) emission in the green region, respectively With the increase of x values in YVxP1-xO4: SM3+ (Er3+) films, the emission intensity Of SM3+ (Er3+) increases due to the increase of energy transfer probability from VO43- to Sm3+ (Er3+). Due to the structural effects, the Sm3+ (Er3+) shows similar spectral properties in YVO4 and GdVO4 films, which are much different from those in LaVO4 film.

Patterning and luminescent properties of nanocrystallineY(2)O(3): Eu3+ phosphor films by sol-gel soft lithography

Nanocrystalline Y2O3:Eu3+ phosphor films and their patterning were fabricated by a Pechini sol-gel process combined with a soft lithography. X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical microscopy, UV/vis transmission and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. The results of XRD indicated that the films began to crystallize at 500 degreesC and the crystallinity increased with the elevation of annealing temperatures. Uniform and crack free non-patterned phosphor films were obtained, which mainly consisted of grains with an average size of 70 nm. Using micro-molding in capillaries technique, we obtained homogeneous and defects-free patterned gel and crystalline phosphor films with different stripe widths (5, 10, 20 and 50 mum). Significant shrinkage (50%) was observed in the patterned films during the heat treatment process. The doped Eu3+ showed its characteristic emission in crystalline Y2O3 phosphor films due to an efficient energy transfer from Y2O3 host to them. Both the lifetimes and PL intensity of the Eu3+ increased with increasing the annealing temperature from 500 to 900 degreesC, and the optimum concentrations for Eu3+ were determined to be 5 mol%.

Preparation, patterning and luminescent properties of nanocrystalline Gd2O3 : A (A = Eu3+, Dy3+, Sm3+, Er3+) phosphor films via Pechini sol-gel soft lithography

Nanocrystalline Gd2O3:A (A = Eu3+, Dy3+, Sm3+, Er3+) phosphor films and their patterning were fabricated by a Pechini sol-gel process combined with a soft lithography. X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy, UV/vis transmission and photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. The results of XRD indicated that the films began to crystallize at 500 degreesC and that the crystallinity increased with the elevation of annealing temperatures. Uniform and crack free non-patterned phosphor films were obtained by optimizing the composition of the coating sol, which mainly consisted of grains with an average size of 70 nm and a thickness of 550 nm. Using micro-molding in capillaries technique, we obtained homogeneous and defects-free patterned gel and crystalline phosphor films with different stripe widths (5, 10, 20 and 50 mum). Significant shrinkage (50%) was observed in the patterned films during the heat treatment process. The doped rare earth ions (A) showed their characteristic emission in crystalline Gd2O3 phosphor films due to an efficient energy transfer from Gd2O3 host to them. Both the lifetimes and PL intensity of the rare earth ions increased with increasing the annealing temperature from 500 to 900 degreesC, and the optimum concentrations for Eu3+, Dy3+, sm(3+), Er3+ were determined to be 5, 0.25, 1 and 1.5 mol% of Gd3+ in Gd2O3 films, respectively.

Preparation of multilayer films containing pt nanoparticles on a glassy carbon electrode and application as an electrocatalyst for dioxygen reduction

In this paper, a simple route for the preparation of Pt nanoparticles is described. PtCl62- and [tetrakis-(N-methylpyridyl)porphyrinato] cobalt (CoTMPyP) were assembled on a 4-aminobenzoic acid modified glassy carbon electrode through the layer-by-layer method. The three-dimensional Pt nanoparticle films are directly formed on an electrode surface by electrochemical reduction of PtCl62- sandwiched between CoTMPyP layers. Regular growth of the multilayer films is monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy verifies the constant composition of the multilayer films containing Pt nanoparticles. Atomic force microscopy proves that the as-prepared Pt nanoparticles are uniformily distributed with average particle diameters of 6-10 nm. The resulting multilayer films containing Pt nanoparticles on the modified electrode possess catalytic activity for the reduction of dissolved oxygen. Rotating disk electrode voltammetry and rotating ring-disk electrode voltammetry confirm that Pt nanoparticle containing films can catalyze an almost four-electron reduction of O-2 to water in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution.

Synthesis and self-assembly of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-capped gold nanoparticles

In this article, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-capped gold nanoparticles were synthesized successfully by using CTAB as a phase-transfer catalyst and stabilizer simultaneously in a two-phase toluene/water system. The as-prepared gold nanoparticles were characterized and analyzed by virtue of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-visible absorbance spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The particle size information and collective self-assembling properties of the CTAB-capped gold nanoparticles on carbon-coated copper grid and mica were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy, respectively. As a result it is demonstrated that the 3-D CTAB monolayers on a gold cluster are in the disordered liquid state. The interparticle spacing can be controlled either physically by the inherent particle-to-particle interactions or chemically by molecular linker. The assembly of both nanoparticles and linker-bridged nanonetworks on mica follows a hydrophobic interaction mechanism.

Synthesis, characterization and fabrication on a glassy carbon electrode of a tetra-iron substituted sandwich-type pentadecatungstodiarsenate heteropolyanion

A novel sandwich-type compound, Na-12[Fe-4(H2O)(2)(As2W15O56)2].41H(2)O, has been synthesized. The compound was well-characterized by means of IR, UV-vis, W-183 NMR and elemental analyses. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic, P (1) over bar symmetry group. The structure of the compound is similar to that of Na-16[M-4(H2O)(2)(As2W15O56)(2)].nH(2)O (M = Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Mn, Cd), and consists of an oxo-aqua tetranuclear iron core, [(Fe4O14)-O-III(H2O)(2)], sandwiched by two trivacant alpha-Wells-Dawson structural moieties, alpha-[As2W15O56]. Redoxelectrochemistry of the compound has been studied in buffer solutions at pH = 4.7 using polarography and cyclic voltammetry ( CV). The compound exhibited four one-electron couples associated with the Fe(III) center followed by three four-electron redox processes attributed to the tungsten-oxo framework. The compound-containing monolayer and multilayer films have been fabricated on a 4-aminobenzoic acid modified glassy carbon electrode surface by alternating deposition with a quaternized poly(4-vinylpyridine) partially complexed with [Os(bpy)(2)Cl](2+/-). CV, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to characterize the multilayer films.

Simple preparation method of Pd nanoparticles on an Au electrode and its catalysis for dioxygen reduction

A simple method for the fabrication of Pd nanoparticles is described. The three-dimensional Pd nanoparticle films are directly formed on a gold electrode surface by simple electrodeposition at -200 mV from a solution of 1 M H2SO4+0.01 mM K2PdCl4. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy verifies the constant composition of the Pd nanoparticle films. Atomic force microscopy proves that the as-prepared Pd nanoparticles are uniformly distributed with an average particle diameter of 45-60 nm. It is confirmed that the morphology of the Pd nanoparticle films are correlated with the electrodeposition time and the state of the Au substrate. The resulting Pd-nanoparticle-film-modified electrode possesses high catalytic activity for the reduction of dissolved oxygen in 0.1 M KCl solution. Freshly prepared Pd nanoparticles can catalyze the reduction of O-2 by a 4-electron process at -200 mV in 0.1 M KCl, but this system is not very stable. The cathodic peaks corresponding to the reduction of O-2 gradually decrease with potential cycling and at last reach a steady state. Then two well-defined reduction peaks are observed at -390 and -600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl/KCl (sat.). Those two peaks correspond to a 2-step process for the 4-electron reduction pathway of O-2 in this neutral medium.

Patterning thin polymer films by surface-directed dewetting and pattern transfer

The pattern evolution processes of thin polystyrene (PS) film on chemically patterned substrates during dewetting have been investigated experimentally. The substrates have patterns of self-assembly monolayers produced by microcontact printing with octadecyltrichlorosilane. Optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy images reveal that ordered micrometer scale pattern can be created by surface direct dewetting. Various pattern sizes and pattern complexities can be achieved by controlling the experimental parameters. The dewetting pattern has been transferred to form PDMS stamp for soft lithography.