Single-walled carbon nanotube nanoring induces polymer crystallization at liquid/liquid interface

The interplay of interfaces, supramolecular assembly, and electronics in organic semiconductors

Organic semiconductors, which include a diverse range of carbon-based small molecules and polymers with interesting optoelectronic properties, offer many advantages over conventional inorganic semiconductors such as silicon and are growing in importance in electronic applications. Although these materials are now the basis of a lucrative industry in electronic displays, many promising applications such as photovoltaics remain largely untapped. One major impediment to more rapid development and widespread adoption of organic semiconductor technologies is that device performance is not easily predicted from the chemical structure of the constituent molecules. Fundamentally, this is because organic semiconductor molecules, unlike inorganic materials, interact by weak non-covalent forces, resulting in significant structural disorder that can strongly impact electronic properties. Nevertheless, directional forces between generally anisotropic organic-semiconductor molecules, combined with translational symmetry breaking at interfaces, can be exploited to control supramolecular order and consequent electronic properties in these materials. This review surveys recent advances in understanding of supramolecular assembly at organic-semiconductor interfaces and its impact on device properties in a number of applications, including transistors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaics. Recent progress and challenges in computer simulations of supramolecular assembly and orientational anisotropy at these interfaces is also addressed.

Preparation of levodopa-loaded crystalsomes through thermally induced crystallization reverses functional deficits in Parkinsonian mice

The prepared levodopa loaded crystalsomes are nanoscale crystals and controlling levodopa release which improving MPTP-induced behavioral impairments and pathological features of mice.

Crystallization Behavior of Poly(ethylene oxide) in Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Array

We investigate the effect of the presence of vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the orientation of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) lamellae and PEO crystallinity. The high alignment of carbon nanotubes acting as templates probably governs the orientation of PEO lamellae. This templating effect might result in the lamella planes of PEO crystals oriented along a direction parallel to the long axis of the nanotubes. The presence of aligned carbon nanotubes also gives rise to the decreases in PEO crystallinity, crystallization temperature, and melting temperature due to the perturbation of carbon nanotubes to the crystallization of PEO. These effects have significant implications for controlling the orientation of PEO lamellae and decreasing the crystallinity of PEO and thickness of PEO lamellae, which have significant impacts on ion transport in PEO/CNT composite and the capacitive performance of PEO/CNT composite. Both the decreased PEO crystallinity and the orientation of PEO lamellae along the long axes of vertically aligned CNTs give rise to the decrease in the charge transfer resistance, which is associated with the improvements in the ion transport and capacitive performance of PEO/CNT composite.

Structure and Morphology of Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Nanoscrolls

To date the scrolled morphology of γ-phase poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) has been witnessed via high temperature melt crystallization of crystalline thin films and through imaging of chemical etched PVDF bulk films. Here we show the first growth and characterization of free-standing γ-phase PVDF scrolls via solution crystallization. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy have been used to characterize and to further understand the fundamental preferred crystalline habit of the γ-phase of PVDF.