Swelling and switching kinetics of gold coated end-capped poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thin films

Hydration and Thermal Response Kinetics of a Cross-Linked Thermoresponsive Copolymer Film on a Hydrophobic PAN Substrate Coating Probed by In Situ Neutron Reflectivity

The hydration and thermal response kinetics of the cross-linked thermoresponsive copolymer poly((diethylene glycol monomethyl ether methacrylate)-co-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate), abbreviated as P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA₃₀₀), thin film on a hydrophobic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) substrate coating, which resembles a synthetic fabric, is probed by in situ neutron reflectivity (NR). The PAN and monomer (MEO₂MA and OEGMA₃₀₀) solutions are sequentially spin-coated onto a silicon (Si) substrate. Afterward, plasma treatment is applied to realize the cross-linking of PAN and monomers. The as-prepared cross-linked P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA₃₀₀) film on the hydrophobic PAN substrate coating presents a two-layer structure: a substrate-near layer, which is a mixture of PAN and P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA₃₀₀), and a main layer, which is composed of pure hydrophilic P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA₃₀₀). During hydration in D₂O vapor atmosphere, the hydrophobic PAN component prevents the formation of D₂O enrichment in the substrate-near layer. However, an additional vapor-near layer is observed on top of the main layer, which is enriched with D₂O. The hydration process is constrained by the cross-linking points in the film, inducing the relaxation time to be longer than that in a spin-coated P(MEO₂MA-co-OEGMA₃₀₀) film. Because the as-prepared cross-linked film presents a transition temperature (TT) at 38 °C, the hydrated film switches to the collapsed state when the temperature is increased from 23 to 50 °C. The response to a thermal stimulus is also slower due to the existence of the internal cross-linking points as compared to the spin-coated film. Interestingly, no reswelling is observed at the end of the thermal stimulus, which can be also attributed to the presence of internal cross-linking points.

Flexible Sample Environment for the Investigation of Soft Matter at the European Spallation Source: Part II—The GISANS Setup

The FlexiProb project is a joint effort of three soft matter groups at the Universities of Bielefeld, Darmstadt, and Munich with scientific support from the European Spallation Source (ESS), the small-K advanced diffractometer (SKADI) beamline development group of the Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS), and the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ). Within this framework, a flexible and quickly interchangeable sample carrier system for small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) at the ESS was developed. In the present contribution, the development of a sample environment for the investigation of soft matter thin films with grazing-incidence small-angle neutron scattering (GISANS) is introduced. Therefore, components were assembled on an optical breadboard for the measurement of thin film samples under controlled ambient conditions, with adjustable temperature and humidity, as well as the optional in situ recording of the film thickness via spectral reflectance. Samples were placed in a 3D-printed spherical humidity metal chamber, which enabled the accurate control of experimental conditions via water-heated channels within its walls. A separately heated gas flow stream supplied an adjustable flow of dry or saturated solvent vapor. First test experiments proved the concept of the setup and respective component functionality.

Abnormal fast dehydration and rehydration of light- and thermo-dual-responsive copolymer films triggered by UV radiation

Abnormal fast dehydration and rehydration of light- and thermo-dual-responsive copolymer films of poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-co-6-(4-phenylazophenoxy)hexyl acrylate), abbreviated as P(OEGMA300-co-PAHA), are triggered by UV radiation. Both rapid kinetic processes are probed by in situ neutron reflectivity (NR). The transition temperatures (TTs) of P(OEGMA300-co-PAHA) are 53.0 (ambient conditions) and 52.5 °C (UV radiation, λ = 365 nm). Thin P(OEGMA300-co-PAHA) films show a random distribution of OEGMA300 and PAHA segments. They swell in a D2O vapor atmosphere at 23 °C (below TT) to a swelling ratio d/das-prep of 1.61 ± 0.01 and exhibit a D2O volume fraction φ(D2O) of 39.3 ± 0.5%. After being exposed to UV radiation for only 60 s, d/das-prep and φ(D2O) significantly decrease to 1.00 ± 0.01 and 13.4 ± 0.5%, respectively. Although the UV-induced trans-cis isomerization of the azobenzene in PAHA induces increased hydrophilicity, the configuration change causes a breaking of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds between OEGMA300 and D2O molecules and unexpected film shrinkage. As compared to thermal stimulus-induced dehydration, the present dehydration rate is 100 times faster. Removal of the UV radiation causes immediate rehydration. After 200 s, d/das-prep and φ(D2O) recover to their hydrated states, which is also 30 times faster than the initial hydration. At 60 °C (above TT), thin P(OEGMA300-co-PAHA) films switch to their collapsed state and are insensitive to UV radiation. Thus, the UV-induced fast dehydration and rehydration depend on the existence of hydrogen bonds.

Hydration and Solvent Exchange Induced Swelling and Deswelling of Homogeneous Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Microgel Thin Films

The investigation of the response kinetics of smart colloidal microgel films is crucial for their optimization to enable advanced applications. We study the classical thermoresponsive microgel model system N-isopropylacrylamide cross-linked with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide. Without the typically used polyelectrolyte coating of the substrate, thin microgel films are prepared in a single spin-coating step. Atomic force microscopy measurements reveal an extremely dense packing, resulting in a homogeneous compact thin film of microgel particles. The hydration kinetics of these films in H₂O and D₂O atmospheres as well as the kinetics of the solvent exchange between both water species are investigated with in situ time-of-flight neutron reflectometry (TOF-NR) and in situ Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. With accounting for a nonconstant humid atmosphere, the intrinsic diffusion dynamics of water molecules into the thin microgel film are modeled and the specific time constant τ and the effective Flory-Huggins interaction parameter χ_eff are determined. Comparing the results in H₂O and D₂O atmospheres, TOF-NR and FTIR spectroscopy results show an increased affinity of the microgel films toward H₂O as compared to D₂O. From the FTIR spectroscopy data, we further identify different kinetics of intermolecular processes and order them according to their temporal evolution.

Humidity and Heat Dual Response Cellulose Nanocrystals/Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) Composite Films with Cyclic Performance

It has been widely reported that cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) demonstrate a special structural color, which stems from chiral nematic domains. Herein, the humidity and heat dual response nanocomposite films with multilayered helical structure were prepared by self-assembling of CNCs and hydrazone groups modified poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) copolymers. Furthermore, glutaraldehyde was involved to act as a chemical linker to improve cyclic stability by forming acylhydrazone bonds. The structural color of the films could be easily regulated by humidity, heat, or the content of modified PNIPAM copolymers. The absorption of water in higher humidity led to volume expansion of the resin, resulting in a red shift for up to 145 nm. In contrast, the resin shrank under the temperature above the lower critical solution temperature of PNIPAM, leading to a blue shift for up to 87 nm. It was notable that the change of color can be easily captured by the naked eyes. Moreover, the films exhibited excellent stability and cyclicity in response to either vapor or liquid water due to the chemical linking between CNCs and resins. The as-prepared CNCs/PNIPAM nanocomposite films with humidity or heat responsibilities are promising in stimuli-responsive sensors, printing industry, surface decorations, and so forth.

Thickness Changes in Temperature-Responsive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Ultrathin Films under Ambient Conditions

In this paper, we report detailed experimental observations of unusual changes in the thickness of solid poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) ultrathin films, which are well known to have temperature-responsive hydrophilic-hydrophobic switching properties. To date, a number of studies have been carried out on the bulk and the brush forms of PNIPAM in contact with liquid water, as well as in highly humid environments, and, recently, these ultrathin films have been preliminarily shown to exhibit temperature responses even under low-humidity, ambient conditions. In this work, the thicknesses of ultrathin PNIPAM films in a temperature/moisture-controlled sample stage were monitored continuously using multichannel X-ray reflectometry. At room temperature, the sample thickness showed an unexpected increase after thermal treatment at 70 °C for 3 h. In the temperature cycle between 15 and 60 °C, heating and cooling resulted in some clear differences. During cooling, initially, the thickness was almost constant but began to increase when the temperature exceeded 33 °C, which corresponds to the lower critical solution temperature (LCST). This observation indicates that the PNIPAM ultrathin film is sensitive to the small amounts of water contained in the air, even under ambient, low-humidity conditions. On the other hand, during heating run from 15 to 60 °C, the humidity dependence was monotonic, and no specific changes in the PNIPAM films were observed at around the LCST. By studying the humidity dependence, we found that the hydrophilic and hydrophobic states of the PNIPAM ultrathin film exhibit different temperature dependence behaviors. In addition, we found that swelling takes place even under low-moisture conditions. To understand the difference in the thickness changes observed on cooling and heating further, some models considering the effect of the boundary conditions in the polymer ultrathin film system were considered. In the case of the ultrathin film, the hydrophilic/hydrophobic switching property occurred only in the surface layer, which dominated the absorption of water molecules from air. In contrast, the interface layer was time-stable and provided an escape route for water molecules during heating.

Hydration and Dehydration Kinetics: Comparison between Poly( N-isopropyl methacrylamide) and Poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate) Films

Thermoresponsive films of poly( N-isopropyl methacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) and poly(methoxy diethylene glycol acrylate) (PMDEGA) are compared with respect to their hydration and dehydration kinetics using in situ neutron reflectivity. Both as-prepared films present a homogeneous single-layer structure and have similar transition temperatures of the lower critical solution temperature type (TT, PNIPMAM 38 °C and PMDEGA 41 °C). After hydration in unsaturated D₂O vapor at 23 °C, a D₂O enrichment layer is observed in PNIPMAM films adjacent to the Si substrate. In contrast, two enrichment layers are present in PMDEGA films (close to the vapor interface and the Si substrate). PNIPMAM films exhibit a higher hydration capability, ascribed to having both donor (N-H) and acceptor (C═O) units for hydrogen bonds. While the swelling of the PMDEGA films is mainly caused by the increase of the enrichment layers, the thickness of the entire PNIPMAM films increases with time. The observed longer relaxation time for swelling of PNIPMAM films is attributed to the much higher glass transition temperature of PNIPMAM. When dehydrating both films by increasing the temperature above the TT, they react with a complex response consisting of three stages (shrinkage, rearrangement, and reswelling). PNIPMAM films respond faster than PMDEGA films. After dehydration, both films still contain a large amount of D₂O, and no completely dry film state is reached for a temperature above their TTs.

Aggregation-Induced Expansion of Poly-(N-isopropyl acrylamide) Solutions Observed Directly by the Transient Grating Imaging Technique

The anomalous volume expansion of poly-(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions was observed during the thermally induced polymer phase transition of aqueous solutions having concentrations in the 3-7 wt % range. The process occurred on a millisecond time scale, and a laser temperature-jump time-resolved technique was used to bring about the process. After heating a solution with a pulse laser exploiting light absorption by dyes added to the solution itself, a phase transition was observed to take place, and the temporal changes associated with it were visualized through the transient grating imaging technique, whereby the solution was heated with a stripe pattern. We found several processes occurring on a millisecond time scale, all of which clearly took place after each PNIPAM molecule had collapsed structurally from a coiled to a globular conformation. During the so-called demixing process, the globular polymers aggregated with each other within 10 ms, and suddenly the polymer phase expanded as aggregation progressed further. After this process, the individual globular polymers reverted to their coiled conformation via hydration during the remixing process. We proposed that solution expansion was caused by the mutual entangling of multiple globular PNIPAM molecules, instead each globule polymer was separated.

Magnetic nanoparticle-containing soft-hard diblock copolymer films with high order

For sensor applications, superparamagnetic anisotropy is an indispensable property, which is typically achieved by employing an external field to guide the arrangement of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs). In the present investigation, the diblock copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PS-b-PNIPAM) is printed as a template to localize magnetic iron oxide NPs without any external field. Via microphase separation, cylindrical nanostructures of PS in a PNIPAM matrix are obtained, aligned perpendicular to the substrate. Since the magnetite NPs (Fe3O4) are functionalized with hydrophobic organic chains showing affinity to the PS blocks, they can selectively aggregate inside the PS cylinders. Moreover, solvent vapor annealing allows the achievement of nanostructures inside the hybrid system with a very high order, even at a high NP loading. Therefore, NPs can accumulate within PS domains to form perpendicularly aligned aggregates with high periodicity. The magnetic properties of the hybrid films are determined at various temperatures in two orthogonal directions (with PS cylinders vertical and parallel to the applied magnetic field). All hybrid films show superparamagnetism and a remarkable magnetic anisotropy is achieved at certain NP concentrations. This investigation shows a facile route to prepare superparamagnetic films with magnetic anisotropy and offers a novel possibility to future magnetic sensor fabrication.

Polysulfobetaines in Aqueous Solution and in Thin Film Geometry

Polysulfobetaines in aqueous solution show upper critical solution temperature (UCST) behavior. We investigate here the representative of this class of materials, poly (N,N-dimethyl-N-(3-methacrylamidopropyl) ammonio propane sulfonate) (PSPP), with respect to: (i) the dynamics in aqueous solution above the cloud point as function of NaBr concentration; and (ii) the swelling behavior of thin films in water vapor as function of the initial film thickness. For PSPP solutions with a concentration of 5 wt.%, the temperature dependence of the intensity autocorrelation functions is measured with dynamic light scattering as function of molar mass and NaBr concentration (0–8 mM). We found a scaling of behavior for the scattered intensity and dynamic correlation length. The resulting spinodal temperatures showed a maximum at a certain (small) NaBr concentration, which is similar to the behavior of the cloud points measured previously by turbidimetry. The critical exponent of susceptibility depends on NaBr concentration, with a minimum value where the spinodal temperature is maximum and a trend towards the mean-field value of unity with increasing NaBr concentration. In contrast, the critical exponent of the correlation length does not depend on NaBr concentration and is lower than the value of 0.5 predicted by mean-field theory. For PSPP thin films, the swelling behavior was found to depend on film thickness. A film thickness of about 100 nm turns out to be the optimum thickness needed to obtain fast hydration with H₂O.

Swelling of Thin Poly(ethylene glycol)-Containing Hydrogel Films in Water Vapor-A Neutron Reflectivity Study

Hydrogels are widely used in biomedicine and for bioanalytical purposes, normally under wet conditions. For certain applications, processing steps, or process monitoring, hydrogel films are used or treated under ambient conditions, and because they are hygroscopic, it is of interest to investigate how they respond to changes in atmospheric humidity. We have used neutron reflectometry to follow the swelling of thin UV-polymerized hydrogel films in air under different relative humidities (RHs). These polymers were prepared to similar thicknesses on silica and gold substrates, and the chemical similarity between them was verified by infrared spectroscopy. The swelling in response to variations in RH was different for the layers on the two substrate types, reflecting structural changes induced by differences in the UV exposure required to achieve a given polymer thickness, as demonstrated also by differences in the Flory-Huggins interaction parameter, obtained by fitting a Flory-Huggins-type sorption model to the swelling data. Wetting studies show small changes in contact angles with surrounding humidity variations, indicating that structural reorganization at the interface in response to humidity changes is limited.

The Role of Backbone Hydration of Poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) Across the Volume Phase Transition Compared to its Monomer

Thermo-responsive polymers undergo a reversible coil-to-globule transition in water after which the chains collapse and aggregate into bigger globules when passing to above its lower critical solution temperature (LCST). The hydrogen bonding with the amide groups in the side chains has to be contrasted with the hydration interaction of the hydrophobic main-chain hydrocarbons. In the present investigation we study molecular changes in the polymer poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAM) and in its monomer N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) in solution across the LCST transition. Employing Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy we probe changes in conformation and hydrogen bonding. We observe a nearly discontinuous shift of the peak frequencies and areas of vibrational bands across the LCST transition for PNIPAM whereas NIPAM exhibits a continuous linear change with temperature. This supports the crucial role of the polymer backbone with respect to hydration changes in the amide group in combination with cooperative interactions of bound water along the backbone chain.

Investigating Polymer-Metal Interfaces by Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering from Gradients to Real-Time Studies

Tailoring the polymer-metal interface is crucial for advanced material design. Vacuum deposition methods for metal layer coating are widely used in industry and research. They allow for installing a variety of nanostructures, often making use of the selective interaction of the metal atoms with the underlying polymer thin film. The polymer thin film may eventually be nanostructured, too, in order to create a hierarchy in length scales. Grazing incidence X-ray scattering is an advanced method to characterize and investigate polymer-metal interfaces. Being non-destructive and yielding statistically relevant results, it allows for deducing the detailed polymer-metal interaction. We review the use of grazing incidence X-ray scattering to elucidate the polymer-metal interface, making use of the modern synchrotron radiation facilities, allowing for very local studies via in situ (so-called "stop-sputter") experiments as well as studies observing the nanostructured metal nanoparticle layer growth in real time.

A new setup for high resolution fast X-ray reflectivity data acquisition

A new method for fast x-ray reflectivity data acquisition is presented. The method is based on a fast rotating, slightly tilted sample reflecting to a stationary mounted position sensitive detector and it allows for measurements of reflectivity curves in a quarter of a second. The resolution in q-space mainly depends on the beam properties and the pixel size of the detector. Maximum q_z-value of 1 Å^-1 can be achieved. The time-temperature depending structure changes of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thin films were investigated in situ by applying the fast-reflectivity setup. The results are presented in this paper as illustration of the method and proof of principle.

Quantitative diffusion and swelling kinetic measurements using large-angle interferometric refractometry

The uptake and release of sorbates into films and coatings is typically accompanied by changes of the films' refractive index and thickness. We provide a comprehensive model to calculate the concentration of the sorbate from the average refractive index and the film thickness, and validate the model experimentally. The mass fraction of the analyte partitioned into a film is described quantitatively by the Lorentz-Lorenz equation and the Clausius-Mosotti equation. To validate the model, the uptake kinetics of water and other solvents into SU-8 films (d = 40-45 μm) were explored. Large-angle interferometric refractometry measurements can be used to characterize films that are between 15 μm to 150 μm thick and, Fourier analysis, is used to determine independently the thickness, the average refractive index and the refractive index at the film-substrate interface at one-second time intervals. From these values the mass fraction of water in SU-8 was calculated. The kinetics were best described by two independent uptake processes having different rates. Each process followed one-dimensional Fickian diffusion kinetics with diffusion coefficients for water into SU-8 photoresist film of 5.67 × 10(-9) cm(2) s(-1) and 61.2 × 10(-9) cm(2) s(-1).

Sorption of Water and Initial Stages of Swelling of Thin PNIPAM Films Using in Situ GISAXS Microfluidics

The sorption of low-molecular penetrants by thin polymer films, as well as structural changes provoked therein, is of high relevance for many fields of application. Complex permeation, diffusion, swelling, and dissolution processes are often induced within films by solvents or gases. Here, we use a novel in situ microfluidics-grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) setup to examine changes in film thickness and in the surface structure of a thin polymer film that sorbs a good solvent. Thus, this technique is highly complementary to the established techniques on the field of diffusion in polymers. The initial stages of water uptake and swelling are resolved for a 50 nm thin, hydrophilic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) film, before its dissolution sets in. The initial stages of swelling are tentatively described by anomalous swelling induced by a time- and space-dependent diffusion coefficient.

Arrangement of Maghemite Nanoparticles via Wet Chemical Self-Assembly in PS-b-PNIPAM Diblock Copolymer Films

The structure and magnetic behavior of hybrid films composed of maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) and an asymmetric diblock copolymer (DBC) polystyrene61-block-polyN-isopropylacrylamide115 are investigated. The NPs are coated with PS chains, which allow for a selective incorporation inside the PS domains at different NP concentrations. Upon incorporation of low amounts of NPs into the DBC thin films, the initial parallel (to film surface) cylinder morphology changes to a well ordered, perpendicularly oriented one. The characteristic domain distance of the DBC is increased due to the swelling of the PS domains with NPs. At higher NP concentrations, the excess NPs which can no longer be embedded in the PS domains, are accumulated at the film surface, and NP aggregates form. Irrespective of NP concentration, a superparamagnetic behavior of the metal oxide-DBC hybrid films is found. Such superparamagnetic properties make the established hybrid films interesting for high density magnetic storage media and thermoresponsive magnetic sensors.

phase instability and molecular kinetics provoked by repeated crossing of the demixing transition of PNIPAM solutions

The demixing process of aqueous poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) solutions can occur either via a nucleation and growth process or via spinodal decomposition. The ensuing self-assembly, leading to heterogeneous morphologies within the PNIPAM solution, is codetermined by kinetic processes caused by molecular transport. By subjecting PNIPAM solutions to cyclic changes in temperature leading to repeated crossing of the demixing transition, we are able to assess the importance of kinetics as well as of overheating and supercooling of the phase transition within the metastable range delimited by the binodal and spinodal lines. First indications about the location of these stability limits for the low- and high-temperature phases, separated by about 1.6 K, could be gained by detailed kinetic studies of the refractive index. These investigations are made possible due to the novel technique of temperature-modulated optical refractometry.

Response mechanism of the phase transitions of poly(n-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide) using infrared spectroscopy

The thermal and ionic effects on the phase transitions of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and its copolymer with benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide) (PNIPAAm-co-BCAm), were investigated using infrared (IR) spectral variations of methyl (CH3), C=O, and amine (NH) groups. Subsequently, perturbation correlation moving-window two-dimensional correlation infrared spectroscopy (PCMW 2D-IR) was applied to clarify the differences in the phase-transition mechanisms of the polymers. The dominant influence on the phase-transition mechanism of PNIPAAm is whether the anion is evenly distributed in the bulk solution. The results show that the phase transition shifts to a lower temperature with increasing barium chloride (BaCl2) concentrations. In addition, the effect of the anion on the chemical group is homogeneous upon heating. As a result, the relevant transition temperature ranges have remain approximately constant. In contrast, the dominant influence on the phase-transition mechanism of PNIPAAm-co-BCAm is the interactions of the polymer chains with barium ions (Ba(2+)). The hydrophilic BCAm-Ba(2+) complexes distributed in the PNIPAAm-co-BCAm chain prevent the water molecules from leaving the polymer chains, which leads to an increase in the transition temperature and the complicated variation of the transition temperature range, as environmental stimuli-response behavior, with increasing BaCl2 concentrations.

Thermoresponsive polymer induced sweating surfaces as an efficient way to passively cool buildings

Buildings can be effectively cooled by a bioinspired sweating-like action based on thermoresponsive hydrogels (PNIPAM), which press out their stored water when exceeding the lower critical solution temperature. The surface temperature is reduced by 15 °C compared to that of a conventional hydrogel (pHEMA) and by 25 °C compared to the bare ground.

Grazing incidence wide angle x-ray scattering at the wiggler beamline BW4 of HASYLAB

We present an upgrade of the available measurement techniques at the wiggler beamline BW4 of the Hamburger Synchrotronstrahlungslabor (HASYLAB) to grazing incidence wide angle x-ray scattering (GIWAXS). GIWAXS refers to an x-ray diffraction method, which, based on the measurement geometry, is perfectly suited for the investigation of the material crystallinity of surfaces and thin films. It is shown that the overall experimental GIWAXS setup employing a movable CCD-detector provides the capability of reliable and reproducible diffraction measurements in grazing incidence geometry. Furthermore, the potential usage of an additional detector enables the simultaneous or successive measurement of GIWAXS and grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS). The new capability is illustrated by the microbeam GIWAXS measurement of a thin film of the conjugated polymer poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT). The investigation reveals the semicrystalline nature of the P3OT film by a clear identification of the wide angle scattering reflexes up to the third order in the [100]-direction as well as the first order in the [010]-direction. The corresponding microbeam GISAXS measurement on the present morphology complements the characterization yielding the complete sample information from subnanometer up to micrometer length scales.