1
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Kwok JJ, Vishwanathan G, Park KS, Patel BB, Zhao D, Juarez G, Diao Y. Understanding the Aggregation and Flow Response of Donor–Acceptor Conjugated Polymers. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c01359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin J. Kwok
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Giridar Vishwanathan
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1206 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Kyung Sun Park
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Bijal B. Patel
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Dongqi Zhao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Gabriel Juarez
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1206 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Ying Diao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Beckman Institute, Molecular Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 405 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
- Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 104 S. Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
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2
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Casalegno M, Famulari A, Meille SV. Modeling of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) and Its Oligomer’s Structure and Thermal Behavior with Different Force Fields: Insights into the Phase Transitions of Semiconducting Polymers. Macromolecules 2022. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c00131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mosè Casalegno
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, I-20131 Milano (MI), Italy
| | - Antonino Famulari
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, I-20131 Milano (MI), Italy
| | - Stefano Valdo Meille
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica “G. Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, via Mancinelli 7, I-20131 Milano (MI), Italy
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3
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Nguyen NA, Remy RA, Mackay ME. Thermal Analysis of Semiconducting Polymer Crystals Free of a Mobile Amorphous Fraction. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c02509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc A. Nguyen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Roddel A. Remy
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Michael E. Mackay
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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4
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He J, Liu Y, Liu F, Zhou J, Huo H. Roles of solution concentration and shear rate in the shear-induced crystallization of P3HT. RSC Adv 2021; 11:19673-19681. [PMID: 35479231 PMCID: PMC9033596 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra02594e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Microfluidic shear can induce the formation of flow-induced precursors (FIPs) of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in toluene. The shear temperature, solution concentration and shear rate determine the FIP content. The FIP is metastable. Upon fixing the shear rate at 1.0 s−1 and the shear temperature at 60 °C (or 80 °C for a 5.0 mg mL−1 solution), when the shear stress σ exceeds the critical values, a further increase in σ may destroy the formed FIP during shear, leading to the amount of FIPs first increasing when the solution concentration increases from 0.2 mg mL−1 to 0.4 mg mL−1 and then gradually decreasing with a further increase in the solution concentration from 0.7 mg mL−1 to 5.0 mg mL−1. Upon fixing the shear temperature at 60 °C (or 80 °C for a 5.0 mg mL−1 solution), the high concentration P3HT solution has high viscosity, leading to more mechanical energy being dissipated under shear, resulting in the most suitable shear rate increases with increasing solution concentration to reduce the entropy. The reduction in entropy is related to the formation of FIPs, and thus, the most suitable shear rate at which the largest FIP content can be obtained increases with increasing solution concentration. The FIP content dramatically affects the crystallization of P3HT in toluene. Increasing the FIP content can accelerate nucleation and crystallization, and change the crystallization mechanism from a second-order reaction to a first-order reaction of P3HT aggregates. The shear temperature and solution concentration determine the FIP content. Increasing FIPs can accelerate the crystallization kinetics and change the crystallization mechanism from a second-order to a first-order reaction.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin He
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials
- College of Chemistry
- Beijing Normal University
- Beijing 100875
- P. R. China
| | - Ying Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials
- College of Chemistry
- Beijing Normal University
- Beijing 100875
- P. R. China
| | - Fengquan Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials
- College of Chemistry
- Beijing Normal University
- Beijing 100875
- P. R. China
| | - Jianjun Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials
- College of Chemistry
- Beijing Normal University
- Beijing 100875
- P. R. China
| | - Hong Huo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials
- College of Chemistry
- Beijing Normal University
- Beijing 100875
- P. R. China
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5
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Jeon J, Tan ATL, Lee J, Park JE, Won S, Kim S, Bedewy M, Go J, Kim JK, Hart AJ, Wie JJ. High-Speed Production of Crystalline Semiconducting Polymer Line Arrays by Meniscus Oscillation Self-Assembly. ACS NANO 2020; 14:17254-17261. [PMID: 33232120 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c07268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Evaporative self-assembly of semiconducting polymers is a low-cost route to fabricating micrometer and nanoscale features for use in organic and flexible electronic devices. However, in most cases, rate is limited by the kinetics of solvent evaporation, and it is challenging to achieve uniformity over length- and time-scales that are compelling for manufacturing scale-up. In this study, we report high-throughput, continuous printing of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) by a modified doctor blading technique with oscillatory meniscus motion-meniscus-oscillated self-assembly (MOSA), which forms P3HT features ∼100 times faster than previously reported techniques. The meniscus is pinned to a roller, and the oscillatory meniscus motion of the roller generates repetitive cycles of contact-line formation and subsequent slip. The printed P3HT lines demonstrate reproducible and tailorable structures: nanometer scale thickness, micrometer scale width, submillimeter pattern intervals, and millimeter-to-centimeter scale coverage with highly defined boundaries. The line width as well as interval of P3HT patterns can be independently controlled by varying the polymer concentration levels and the rotation rate of the roller. Furthermore, grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) reveals that this dynamic meniscus control technique dramatically enhances the crystallinity of P3HT. The MOSA process can potentially be applied to other geometries, and to a wide range of solution-based precursors, and therefore will develop for practical applications in printed electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jisoo Jeon
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
- Program in Environmental and Polymer Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Alvin T L Tan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jaeyong Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Kyungbuk 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Eun Park
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
- Program in Environmental and Polymer Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Sukyoung Won
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
- Program in Environmental and Polymer Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
| | - Sanha Kim
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Mostafa Bedewy
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, United States
| | - Jamison Go
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jin Kon Kim
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Kyungbuk 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - A John Hart
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jeong Jae Wie
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
- Program in Environmental and Polymer Engineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea
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6
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Nguyen NA, Himmelberger S, Salleo A, Mackay ME. Brush-Painted Solar Cells from Pre-Crystallized Components in a Nonhalogenated Solvent System Prepared by a Simple Stirring Technique. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc A. Nguyen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Scott Himmelberger
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Alberto Salleo
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Michael E. Mackay
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark Delaware 19716, United States
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7
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Nguyen NA, Shen H, Liu Y, Mackay ME. Kinetics and Mechanism of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Crystallization in Solution under Shear Flow. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc A. Nguyen
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Hao Shen
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Yun Liu
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Michael E. Mackay
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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8
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Liu Y, Hu S, Liu F, Wei N, Zhou J, Li L, Huo H. Microfluidic shear‐induced conformational transition and crystallization of P3HT in toluene. POLYMER CRYSTALLIZATION 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/pcr2.10093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
| | - Shan Hu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
| | - Fengquan Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
| | - Nan Wei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
| | - Jianjun Zhou
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Huo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of ChemistryBeijing Normal University Beijing People's Republic of China
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9
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McBride M, Bacardi G, Morales C, Risteen B, Keane D, Reichmanis E, Grover MA. Control of Nucleation Density in Conjugated Polymers via Seed Nucleation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:37955-37965. [PMID: 31522502 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b10967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The development of processing methods to precisely control the solution state properties of semiconducting polymers in situ have remained elusive. Herein, a facile solution seed nucleation processing method is presented in which nucleated poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) solutions are blended with well-solvated, non-nucleated counterparts as a means to promote the formation of interconnected polymer networks. Nucleation and growth of these networks was induced by preprocessing the solution with UV irradiation and subsequent solution aging prior to deposition via blade-coating. This process was adopted for both batch and continuous flow processing. Superior charge carrier (hole) mobilities were observed in samples with nucleated seeds compared to controls with 0% nucleated P3HT and 100% nucleated P3HT. UV-vis spectral analysis identified that an intermediate degree of solution aggregation (15-20%) is most conducive to enhanced charge transport. The role of intrachain and interchain ordering and alignment on the mesoscale and macroscale is characterized via X-ray scattering, atomic force microscopy, and optical microscopy techniques. The results presented here provide a framework to enable in situ control of the nucleation and growth process to achieve targeted solution state properties resulting in reliable and reproducible performance when the solutions are used for device fabrication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael McBride
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
| | - Guillermo Bacardi
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
| | - Carlex Morales
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
| | - Bailey Risteen
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
| | - Daniel Keane
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
| | - Elsa Reichmanis
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
- School of Chemistry & Biochemistry , Georgia Institute of Technology , 901 Atlantic Drive , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 771 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
| | - Martha A Grover
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering , Georgia Institute of Technology , 311 Ferst Dr NW , Atlanta , Georgia 30332 , United States
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10
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Zhang W, Bombile JH, Weisen AR, Xie R, Colby RH, Janik MJ, Milner ST, Gomez ED. Thermal Fluctuations Lead to Cumulative Disorder and Enhance Charge Transport in Conjugated Polymers. Macromol Rapid Commun 2019; 40:e1900134. [PMID: 31116905 DOI: 10.1002/marc.201900134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
All conjugated polymers examined to date exhibit significant cumulative lattice disorder, although the origin of this disorder remains unclear. Using atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the detailed structures for single crystals of a commonly studied conjugated polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) are obtained. It is shown that thermal fluctuations of thiophene rings lead to cumulative disorder of the lattice with an effective paracrystallinity of about 0.05 in the π-π stacking direction. The thermal-fluctuation-induced lattice disorder can in turn limit the apparent coherence length that can be observed in diffraction experiments. Calculating mobilities from simulated crystal structures demonstrates that thermal-fluctuation-induced lattice disorder even enhances charge transport in P3HT. The mean inter-chain charge transfer integral is enhanced with increasing cumulative lattice disorder, which in turn leads to pathways for fast charge transport through crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenlin Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Joel H Bombile
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Albree R Weisen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Renxuan Xie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Ralph H Colby
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Michael J Janik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Scott T Milner
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Enrique D Gomez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Materials Research Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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11
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Nguyen NA, Barnes SH, Bowland CC, Meek KM, Littrell KC, Keum JK, Naskar AK. A path for lignin valorization via additive manufacturing of high-performance sustainable composites with enhanced 3D printability. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:eaat4967. [PMID: 30555914 PMCID: PMC6294600 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat4967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
We report the manufacture of printable, sustainable polymer systems to address global challenges associated with high-volume utilization of lignin, an industrial waste from biomass feedstock. By analyzing a common three-dimensional printing process-fused-deposition modeling-and correlating the printing-process features to properties of materials such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and nylon, we devised a first-of-its-kind, high-performance class of printable renewable composites containing 40 to 60 weight % (wt %) lignin. An ABS analog made by integrating lignin into nitrile-butadiene rubber needs the presence of a styrenic polymer to avoid filament buckling during printing. However, lignin-modified nylon composites containing 40 to 60 wt % sinapyl alcohol-rich, melt-stable lignin exhibit enhanced stiffness and tensile strength at room temperature, while-unexpectedly-demonstrating a reduced viscosity in the melt. Further, incorporation of 4 to 16 wt % discontinuous carbon fibers enhances mechanical stiffness and printing speed, as the thermal conductivity of the carbon fibers facilitates heat transfer and thinning of the melt. We found that the presence of lignin and carbon fibers retards nylon crystallization, leading to low-melting imperfect crystals that allow good printability at lower temperatures without lignin degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngoc A. Nguyen
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Corresponding author. (N.A.N); (A.K.N.)
| | - Sietske H. Barnes
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Christopher C. Bowland
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Kelly M. Meek
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Kenneth C. Littrell
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Jong K. Keum
- Neutron Scattering Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - Amit K. Naskar
- Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
- Corresponding author. (N.A.N); (A.K.N.)
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12
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Agbolaghi S, Abbaspoor S, Abbasi F. A comprehensive review on polymer single crystals—From fundamental concepts to applications. Prog Polym Sci 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2017.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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13
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Richards JJ, Wagner NJ, Butler PD. A strain-controlled RheoSANS instrument for the measurement of the microstructural, electrical, and mechanical properties of soft materials. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2017; 88:105115. [PMID: 29092518 DOI: 10.1063/1.4986770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In situ measurements are an increasingly important tool to inform the complex relationship between nanoscale properties and macroscopic material measurements. Knowledge of these phenomena can be used to develop new materials to meet the performance demands of next generation technologies. Conductive complex fluids have emerged as an area of research where the electrical and mechanical properties are key design parameters. To study the relationship between microstructure, conductivity, and rheology, we have developed a small angle neutron scattering (SANS) compatible Couette rheological geometry capable of making impedance spectroscopy measurements under continuous shear. We have also mounted this geometry on a commercial strain controlled rheometer with a modified forced convection oven. In this manuscript, we introduce the simultaneous measurement of impedance spectroscopy, rheological properties and SANS data. We describe the validation of this dielectric RheoSANS instrument and demonstrate its operation using two systems-an ion gel comprising Pluronic® surfactant and ionic liquid, ethyl-ammonium nitrate, and poly(3-hexylthiophene) organogel prepared in a mixture of hexadecane and dichlorobenzene. In both systems, we use this new measurement capability to study the microstructural state of these materials under two different protocols. By monitoring their dielectric rheology at the same time as the SANS measurement, we demonstrate the capacity to directly probe structure-property relationships inherent to the macroscopic material response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Richards
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
| | - Norman J Wagner
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Center for Neutron Science, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 98195, USA
| | - Paul D Butler
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA
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14
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Persson NE, Chu PH, McBride M, Grover M, Reichmanis E. Nucleation, Growth, and Alignment of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Nanofibers for High-Performance OFETs. Acc Chem Res 2017; 50:932-942. [PMID: 28234458 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.6b00639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Conjugated semiconducting polymers have been the subject of intense study for over two decades with promising advances toward a printable electronics manufacturing ecosystem. These materials will deliver functional electronic devices that are lightweight, flexible, large-area, and cost-effective, with applications ranging from biomedical sensors to solar cells. Synthesis of novel molecules has led to significant improvements in charge carrier mobility, a defining electrical performance metric for many applications. However, the solution processing and thin film deposition of conjugated polymers must also be properly controlled to obtain reproducible device performance. This has led to an abundance of research on the process-structure-property relationships governing the microstructural evolution of the model semicrystalline poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as applied to organic field effect transistor (OFET) fabrication. What followed was the production of an expansive body of work on the crystallization, self-assembly, and charge transport behavior of this semiflexible polymer whose strong π-π stacking interactions allow for highly creative methods of structural control, including the modulation of solvent and solution properties, flow-induced crystallization and alignment techniques, structural templating, and solid-state thermal and mechanical processing. This Account relates recent progress in the microstructural control of P3HT thin films through the nucleation, growth, and alignment of P3HT nanofibers. Solution-based nanofiber formation allows one to develop structural order prior to thin film deposition, mitigating the need for intricate deposition processes and enabling the use of batch and continuous chemical processing steps. Fiber growth is framed as a traditional crystallization problem, with the balance between nucleation and growth rates determining the fiber size and ultimately the distribution of grain boundaries in the solid state. Control of nucleation can be accomplished through a sonication-based seeding procedure, while growth can be modulated through supersaturation control via the tuning of solvent quality, the use of UV irradiation or through aging. These principles carry over to the flow-induced growth of P3HT nanofibers in a continuous microfluidic processing system, leading to thin films with significantly enhanced mobility. Further gains can be made by promoting long-range polymer chain alignment, achieved by depositing nanofibers through shear-based coating methods that promote high fiber packing density and alignment. All of these developments in processing were carried out on a standard OFET platform, enabling us to generalize quantitative structure-property relationships from structural data sources such as UV-vis, AFM, and GIWAXS. It is shown that a linear correlation exists between mobility and the in-plane orientational order of nanofibers, as extracted from AFM images using advanced computer vision software developed by our group. Herein, we discuss data-driven approaches to the determination of process-structure-property relationships, as well as the transferability of structural control strategies for P3HT to other conjugated polymer systems and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils E. Persson
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, ‡School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and §School of Materials Science & Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Ping-Hsun Chu
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, ‡School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and §School of Materials Science & Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Michael McBride
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, ‡School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and §School of Materials Science & Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Martha Grover
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, ‡School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and §School of Materials Science & Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Elsa Reichmanis
- School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, ‡School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and §School of Materials Science & Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
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15
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Abstract
The solution printability of organic semiconductors (OSCs) represents a distinct advantage for materials processing, enabling low-cost, high-throughput, and energy-efficient manufacturing with new form factors that are flexible, stretchable, and transparent. While the electronic performance of OSCs is not comparable to that of crystalline silicon, the solution processability of OSCs allows them to complement silicon by tackling challenging aspects for conventional photolithography, such as large-area electronics manufacturing. Despite this, controlling the highly nonequilibrium morphology evolution during OSC printing remains a challenge, hindering the achievement of high electronic device performance and the elucidation of structure-property relationships. Many elegant morphological control methodologies have been developed in recent years including molecular design and novel processing approaches, but few have utilized fluid flow to control morphology in OSC thin films. In this Account, we discuss flow-directed crystallization as an effective strategy for controlling the crystallization kinetics during printing of small molecule and polymer semiconductors. Introducing the concept of flow-directed crystallization to the field of printed electronics is inspired by recent advances in pharmaceutical manufacturing and flow processing of flexible-chain polymers. Although flow-induced crystallization is well studied in these areas, previous findings may not apply directly to the field of printed electronics where the molecular structures (i.e., rigid π-conjugated backbone decorated with flexible side chains) and the intermolecular interactions (i.e., π-π interactions, quadrupole interactions) of OSCs differ substantially from those of pharmaceuticals or flexible-chain polymers. Another critical difference is the important role of solvent evaporation in open systems, which defines the flow characteristics and determines the crystallization kinetics and pathways. In other words, flow-induced crystallization is intimately coupled with the mass transport processes driven by solvent evaporation during printing. In this Account, we will highlight these distinctions of flow-directed crystallization for printed electronics. In the context of solution printing of OSCs, the key issue that flow-directed crystallization addresses is the kinetics mismatch between crystallization and various transport processes during printing. We show that engineering fluid flows can tune the kinetics of OSC crystallization by expediting the nucleation and crystal growth processes, significantly enhancing thin film morphology and device performance. For small molecule semiconductors, nucleation can be enhanced and patterned by directing the evaporative flux via contact line engineering, and defective crystal growth can be alleviated by enhancing mass transport to yield significantly improved coherence length and reduced grain boundaries. For conjugated polymers, extensional and shear flow can expedite nucleation through flow-induced conformation change, facilitating the control of microphase separation, degree of crystallinity, domain alignment, and percolation. Although the nascent concept of flow-directed solution printing has not yet been widely adopted in the field of printed electronics, we anticipate that it can serve as a platform technology in the near future for improving device performance and for systematically tuning thin film morphology to construct structure-property relationships. From a fundamental perspective, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of the effects of fluid flow and mass transport on OSC crystallization as these processes are ubiquitous across all solution processing techniques and can critically impact charge transport properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ge Qu
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Justin J. Kwok
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 1304 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Ying Diao
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, 600 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
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16
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Yu F, Kuppa VK. Solution Aging Effects on the Performance and Morphology of P3HT: PCBM Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016. [DOI: 10.1142/s1793984415500051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In a bulk heterojunction photovoltaic device, the morphology of the active layer strongly affects the device performance. By comparing the device performance from P3HT:PCBM solutions that were aged for different times, we notice that aging time has an influence on device power conversion efficiency. We prove the morphological difference in P3HT:PCBM thin films is caused by different aging time, and demonstrate a relationship between the P3HT:PCBM phase behavior and BHJ device performance through UV-Vis absorption spectrum and atomic force microscope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Yu
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA
| | - Vikram K. Kuppa
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Cincinnati, USA
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17
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Lee SW, Keum HS, Kim HS, Kim HJ, Ahn K, Lee DR, Kim JH, Lee HH. Temperature-Dependent Evolution of Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) Type-II Phase in a Blended Thin Film. Macromol Rapid Commun 2015; 37:203-8. [DOI: 10.1002/marc.201500527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2015] [Revised: 10/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Si Woo Lee
- Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering; Pusan National University; Busan 609-755 South Korea
| | - Hee-Sung Keum
- Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering; Pusan National University; Busan 609-755 South Korea
| | - Han Seong Kim
- Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering; Pusan National University; Busan 609-755 South Korea
| | - Hyo Jung Kim
- Department of Organic Material Science and Engineering; Pusan National University; Busan 609-755 South Korea
| | - Kwangseok Ahn
- Department of Physics; Soongsil University; Seoul 126-743 South Korea
| | - Dong Ryeol Lee
- Department of Physics; Soongsil University; Seoul 126-743 South Korea
| | - Je Han Kim
- Pohang Accelerator Laboratory; POSTECH; Pohang 790-784 South Korea
| | - Hyun Hwi Lee
- Pohang Accelerator Laboratory; POSTECH; Pohang 790-784 South Korea
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18
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Wang G, Persson N, Chu PH, Kleinhenz N, Fu B, Chang M, Deb N, Mao Y, Wang H, Grover MA, Reichmanis E. Microfluidic Crystal Engineering of π-Conjugated Polymers. ACS NANO 2015; 9:8220-8230. [PMID: 26182171 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.5b02582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Very few studies have reported oriented crystallization of conjugated polymers directly in solution. Here, solution crystallization of conjugated polymers in a microfluidic system is found to produce tightly π-stacked fibers with commensurate improved charge transport characteristics. For poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) films, processing under flow caused exciton bandwidth to decrease from 140 to 25 meV, π-π stacking distance to decrease from 3.93 to 3.72 Å and hole mobility to increase from an average of 0.013 to 0.16 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), vs films spin-coated from pristine, untreated solutions. Variation of the flow rate affected thin-film structure and properties, with an intermediate flow rate of 0.25 m s(-1) yielding the optimal π-π stacking distance and mobility. The flow process included sequential cooling followed by low-dose ultraviolet irradiation that promoted growth of conjugated polymer fibers. Image analysis coupled with mechanistic interpretation supports the supposition that "tie chains" provide for charge transport pathways between nanoaggregated structures. The "microfluidic flow enhanced semiconducting polymer crystal engineering" was also successfully applied to a representative electron transport polymer and a nonhalogenated solvent. The process can be applied as a general strategy and is expected to facilitate the fabrication of high-performance electrically active polymer devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gang Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University , Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Yimin Mao
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology , Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Hongzhi Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, College of Material Science and Engineering, Donghua University , Shanghai 201620, People's Republic of China
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19
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Chu PH, Zhang L, Colella NS, Fu B, Park JO, Srinivasarao M, Briseño AL, Reichmanis E. Enhanced mobility and effective control of threshold voltage in P3HT-based field-effect transistors via inclusion of oligothiophenes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2015; 7:6652-6660. [PMID: 25757100 DOI: 10.1021/am509090j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Improved organic field-effect transistor (OFET) performance through a polymer-oligomer semiconductor blend approach is demonstrated. Incorporation of 2,5-bis(3-dodecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (BTTT) into poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) thin films leads to approximately a 5-fold increase in charge carrier mobility, a 10-fold increase in current on-off ratio, and concomitantly, a decreased threshold voltage to as low as 1.7 V in comparison to single component thin films. The blend approach required no pre- and/or post treatments, and processing was conducted under ambient conditions. The correlation of crystallinity, surface morphology and photophysical properties of the blend thin films was systematically investigated via X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and optical absorption measurements respectively, as a function of blend composition. The dependence of thin-film morphology on the blend composition is illustrated for the P3HT:BTTT system. The blend approach provides an alternative avenue to combine the advantageous properties of conjugated polymers and oligomers for optimized semiconductor performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping-Hsun Chu
- †School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0100, United States
| | - Lei Zhang
- ‡Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Conte Research Center, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002, United States
| | - Nicholas S Colella
- ‡Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Conte Research Center, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002, United States
| | - Boyi Fu
- †School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0100, United States
| | - Jung Ok Park
- §School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 771 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States
| | - Mohan Srinivasarao
- §School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 771 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States
- ∥School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0400, United States
| | - Alejandro L Briseño
- ‡Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Conte Research Center, University of Massachusetts, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002, United States
| | - Elsa Reichmanis
- †School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0100, United States
- §School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 771 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0245, United States
- ∥School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, 901 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0400, United States
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20
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Hong CT, Yoo Y, Kang YH, Ryu J, Cho SY, Jang KS. Effect of film thickness and crystallinity on the thermoelectric properties of doped P3HT films. RSC Adv 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c4ra15681a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Influence of film thickness and crystallinity of poly(3-hexylthiopene) (P3HT) on the thermoelectric properties of doped P3HT films was systematically investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheon Taek Hong
- Division of Advanced Materials
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
- Daejeon 305-600
- Republic of Korea
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering
| | - Youngjae Yoo
- Division of Advanced Materials
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
- Daejeon 305-600
- Republic of Korea
| | - Young Hun Kang
- Division of Advanced Materials
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
- Daejeon 305-600
- Republic of Korea
| | - Juwhan Ryu
- Department of Polymer Science and Engineering
- Chungnam National University
- Daejeon 305-764
- Republic of Korea
| | - Song Yun Cho
- Division of Advanced Materials
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
- Daejeon 305-600
- Republic of Korea
| | - Kwang-Suk Jang
- Division of Advanced Materials
- Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology
- Daejeon 305-600
- Republic of Korea
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21
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Kao KY, Lo SC, Chen HL, Chen JH, Chen SA. Gelation of a Solution of Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Greatly Retards Its Crystallization Rate in the Subsequently Cast Film. J Phys Chem B 2014; 118:14510-8. [DOI: 10.1021/jp508775b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kuei-Yu Kao
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Frontier Research Center on Fundamental
and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin-Chu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Shen-Chuan Lo
- Material
and Chemical Research Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Chutung, Hsin-Chu 31040, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Lung Chen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Frontier Research Center on Fundamental
and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin-Chu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Jean-Hong Chen
- Department
of Materials Engineering, Kun Shan University, Tainan 71003, Taiwan
| | - Show-An Chen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering and Frontier Research Center on Fundamental
and Applied Sciences of Matters, National Tsing Hua University, Hsin-Chu 30013, Taiwan
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