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de Lima BM, Hayes PL, Wood-Adams PM. Lamellar orientation at the surface of isotactic polystyrene thin films analyzed by sum frequency generation spectroscopy. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1248:340904. [PMID: 36813456 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.340904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Analyzing the orientation of polymeric crystalline lamella at the surface of thin films can be challenging. Even though atomic force microscopy (AFM) is often sufficient for this analysis, there are cases when imaging is not sufficient to confidently determine lamellar orientation. Here, we used sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy to analyze the lamellar orientation at the surface of semi-crystalline isotactic polystyrene (iPS) thin films. The SFG orientation analysis indicated that the iPS chains are oriented perpendicular to the substrate (flat-on lamellar orientation), which was confirmed by AFM. By analyzing the evolution of the SFG spectral features with the progress of crystallization, we demonstrated that the ratios of the SFG intensities of the phenyl ring resonances are a good indication of the surface crystallinity. Furthermore, we explored the challenges associated with SFG measurements of heterogeneous surfaces, which is commonly present in many semi-crystalline polymeric films. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the surface lamellar orientation of semi-crystalline polymeric thin films was determined by SFG. Also, this work pioneers in reporting the surface conformation of semi-crystalline and amorphous iPS thin films by SFG and in linking the SFG intensity ratios to the progress of the crystallization and the surface crystallinity. This study demonstrates the potential applicability of SFG spectroscopy in the conformational analysis of polymeric crystalline structures at interfaces and opens the way to the investigation of more complex polymeric structures and crystalline arrangements, especially for the case of buried interfaces, where AFM imaging is not an option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca M de Lima
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Concordia University, 1435 Rue Guy, S-GM 900-13, Montréal, Québec, H3H 2L5, Canada
| | - Patrick L Hayes
- Department of Chemistry, Université de Montréal, 1375 Avenue Thérèse-Lavoie-Roux, Montréal, Québe, H2V 0B3, Canada.
| | - Paula M Wood-Adams
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Concordia University, 1435 Rue Guy, S-GM 900-13, Montréal, Québec, H3H 2L5, Canada.
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2
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Sun L, Li T, Zhou J, Li W, Wu Z, Niu R, Cheng J, Asare‐Yeboah K, He Z. A Green Binary Solvent Method to Control Organic Semiconductor Crystallization. ChemistrySelect 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/slct.202203927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Li Sun
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Tianyu Li
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Jiajian Zhou
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Wenhao Li
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Zhongming Wu
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Ruikun Niu
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Jinxiang Cheng
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jinling Institute of Technology Nanjing Jiangsu 210014 China
| | - Kyeiwaa Asare‐Yeboah
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Penn State Behrend Erie PA 16563 USA
| | - Zhengran He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 35487 USA
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Chen J. Advanced Electron Microscopy of Nanophased Synthetic Polymers and Soft Complexes for Energy and Medicine Applications. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:2405. [PMID: 34578720 PMCID: PMC8470047 DOI: 10.3390/nano11092405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
After decades of developments, electron microscopy has become a powerful and irreplaceable tool in understanding the ionic, electrical, mechanical, chemical, and other functional performances of next-generation polymers and soft complexes. The recent progress in electron microscopy of nanostructured polymers and soft assemblies is important for applications in many different fields, including, but not limited to, mesoporous and nanoporous materials, absorbents, membranes, solid electrolytes, battery electrodes, ion- and electron-transporting materials, organic semiconductors, soft robotics, optoelectronic devices, biomass, soft magnetic materials, and pharmaceutical drug design. For synthetic polymers and soft complexes, there are four main characteristics that differentiate them from their inorganic or biomacromolecular counterparts in electron microscopy studies: (1) lower contrast, (2) abundance of light elements, (3) polydispersity or nanomorphological variations, and (4) large changes induced by electron beams. Since 2011, the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been working with numerous facility users on nanostructured polymer composites, block copolymers, polymer brushes, conjugated molecules, organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterials, organic-inorganic interfaces, organic crystals, and other soft complexes. This review crystalizes some of the essential challenges, successes, failures, and techniques during the process in the past ten years. It also presents some outlooks and future expectations on the basis of these works at the intersection of electron microscopy, soft matter, and artificial intelligence. Machine learning is expected to automate and facilitate image processing and information extraction of polymer and soft hybrid nanostructures in aspects such as dose-controlled imaging and structure analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihua Chen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
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Sun Y, Zhang Z, Asare‐Yeboah K, Bi S, He Z. Poly(butyl acrylate) polymer enhanced phase segregation and morphology of organic semiconductor for
solution‐processed
thin film transistors. J Appl Polym Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/app.50654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yeqing Sun
- Key Laboratory for Precision and Non‐traditional Machining Technology of the Ministry of Education Dalian University of Technology Dalian China
| | - Ziyang Zhang
- Department of Electrical Engineering Columbia University New York City New York USA
| | - Kyeiwaa Asare‐Yeboah
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Penn State Behrend Erie Pennsylvania USA
| | - Sheng Bi
- Key Laboratory for Precision and Non‐traditional Machining Technology of the Ministry of Education Dalian University of Technology Dalian China
| | - Zhengran He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa USA
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Yang X, Lu W, Cao J, Zhai C, Li W, Zha F, Lu G, Tian H, Yu D, Bu L. Crystallization Control of N,N'-Dioctyl Perylene Diimide by Amphiphilic Block Copolymers Containing poly(3-Hexylthiophene) and Polyethylene Glycol. Front Chem 2021; 9:699387. [PMID: 34178950 PMCID: PMC8222538 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.699387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The preparation of micron- to nanometer-sized functional materials with well-defined shapes and packing is a key process to their applications. There are many ways to control the crystal growth of organic semiconductors. Adding polymer additives has been proven a robust strategy to optimize semiconductor crystal structure and the corresponding optoelectronic properties. We have found that poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) can effectively regulate the crystallization behavior of N,N'-dioctyl perylene diimide (C8PDI). In this study, we combined P3HT and polyethylene glycol (PEG) to amphiphilic block copolymers and studied the crystallization modification effect of these block copolymers. It is found that the crystallization modification effect of the block copolymers is retained and gradually enhanced with P3HT content. The length of C8PDI crystals were well controlled from 2 to 0.4 μm, and the width from 210 to 35 nm. On the other hand, due to the water solubility of PEG block, crystalline PEG-b-P3HT/C8PDI micelles in water were successfully prepared, and this water phase colloid could be stable for more than 2 weeks, which provides a new way to prepare pollution-free aqueous organic semiconductor inks for printing electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Yang
- School of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, and Xi'an Key Laboratory of Sustainable Energy Material Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wanlong Lu
- Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, and State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jingning Cao
- School of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, and Xi'an Key Laboratory of Sustainable Energy Material Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Chenyang Zhai
- School of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, and Xi'an Key Laboratory of Sustainable Energy Material Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Weili Li
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Fangwen Zha
- School of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, and Xi'an Key Laboratory of Sustainable Energy Material Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Guanghao Lu
- Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, and State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Hongkun Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, China
| | - Demei Yu
- School of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, and Xi'an Key Laboratory of Sustainable Energy Material Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
| | - Laju Bu
- School of Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, and Xi'an Key Laboratory of Sustainable Energy Material Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China
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Investigation on the solid–liquid (S–L) phase separation of the PE/LP blend with different molecular weight polyethylene. Polym Bull (Berl) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00289-020-03510-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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He Z, Zhang Z, Asare-Yeboah K, Bi S, Chen J, Li D. Polyferrocenylsilane Semicrystalline Polymer Additive for Solution-Processed p-Channel Organic Thin Film Transistors. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:polym13030402. [PMID: 33513894 PMCID: PMC7865563 DOI: 10.3390/polym13030402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that a metal-containing semicrystalline polymer was used as an additive to mediate the thin film morphology of solution-grown, small-molecule organic semiconductors. By mixing polyferrocenylsilane (PFS) with an extensively-studied organic semiconductor 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS pentacene), PFS as a semicrystalline polymer independently forms nucleation and crystallization while simultaneously ameliorating diffusivity of the blend system and tuning the surface energies as a result of its partially amorphous property. We discovered that the resultant blend film exhibited a 6-fold reduction in crystal misorientation angle and a 3-fold enlargement in average grain width. Enhanced crystal orientation considerably reduces mobility variation, while minimized defects and trap centers located at grain boundaries lessen the adverse impact on the charge transport. Consequently, bottom-gate, top-contact organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) based on the TIPS pentacene/PFS mixture yielded a 40% increase in performance consistency (represented by the ratio of average mobility to the standard deviation of mobility). The PFS semicrystalline polymer-controlled crystallization can be used to regulate the thin film morphology of other high-performance organic semiconductors and shed light on applications in organic electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengran He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA;
| | - Ziyang Zhang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University, New York City, NY 10027, USA;
| | - Kyeiwaa Asare-Yeboah
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Penn State Behrend, Erie, PA 16563, USA;
| | - Sheng Bi
- Key Laboratory for Precision and Non-Traditional Machining Technology of the Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China;
| | - Jihua Chen
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Correspondence: (J.C.); (D.L.); Tel.: +1-(865)576-3385 (J.C.); +1-(205)348-9930 (D.L.)
| | - Dawen Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA;
- Correspondence: (J.C.); (D.L.); Tel.: +1-(865)576-3385 (J.C.); +1-(205)348-9930 (D.L.)
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Wang Q, Pu Z, Zheng X, Tian Y, Li X, Zhong J. Preparation and physical properties of intrinsic low-k polyarylene ether nitrile with enhanced thermo-stability. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-020-02311-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Ipek H, Hacaloglu J. The effect of 3-hydroxyphenylboronic acid on thermal characteristics of polybenzoxazine based on phenol and 4-aminomethylbenzoate. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-020-02221-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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10
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Phenothiazine derivatives, diketopyrrolopyrrole-based conjugated polymers: synthesis, optical and organic field effect transistor properties. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-020-02199-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Ates M, Kuzgun O, Yildirim M, Ozkan H. rGO / MnO2 / Polyterthiophene ternary composite: pore size control, electrochemical supercapacitor behavior and equivalent circuit model analysis. JOURNAL OF POLYMER RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10965-020-02183-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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12
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Chen R, Liu C, Asare-Yeboah K, Zhang Z, He Z, Liu Y. Retracted Article: Wavelength modulation of ZnO nanowire based organic light-emitting diodes with ultraviolet electroluminescence. RSC Adv 2020; 10:23775-23781. [PMID: 35517321 PMCID: PMC9054857 DOI: 10.1039/d0ra04058d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Although organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) can find important applications in display-related fields, it still remains a challenge to fabricate high-efficiency ultraviolet (UV) OLEDs with tunable wavelength. In this work, we demonstrate a facile method to adjust the electroluminescence (EL) peak from an inverted UV-OLED device that has zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) as an electron injection layer. The organic-inorganic interface between ZnO NWs and the 3-(4-biphenyl)-4-phenyl-5-tert-butylphenyl-1,2,4-triazole (TAZ) emission layer employed in this work allows a reduction of the diffusion length of excitons, which further results in a hampered relaxation process of higher energy states as well as a blue shift of the EL spectrum. As a result, the emission peaks of the UV-OLED can be easily adjusted from 383 nm to 374 nm by tuning both the length of the ZnO NWs and the thickness of the TAZ emission layer. Our work reveals an important correlation between emission peaks and exciton diffusion, and presents a novel approach to fabricate high-performance UV-OLEDs with the capability of facilely modifying the emission wavelength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runze Chen
- Leicester International Institute, Dalian University of Technology Panjin City 124221 China
| | - Chuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Analysis for Industrial Equipment, Dalian University of Technology Dalian 116024 China
| | - Kyeiwaa Asare-Yeboah
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Penn State Behrend Erie PA 16563 USA
| | - Ziyang Zhang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Columbia University New York City NY 10027 USA
| | - Zhengran He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa AL 35487 USA
| | - Yun Liu
- Department of Physics, Dalian University of Technology Dalian 116024 China
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