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Singh S, Ghoshal T, Prochukhan N, Fernandez AA, Vasquez JF, Yadav P, Padmanabhan SC, Morris MA. Morphology Engineering of the Asymmetric PS- b-P4VP Block Copolymer: From Porous to Nanodot Oxide Structures. ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS 2023; 5:9612-9619. [PMID: 37970530 PMCID: PMC10644307 DOI: 10.1021/acsapm.3c02120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
In the present work, we demonstrate the formation of oxide porous and nanodot structures from the same block copolymer (BCP) by the phase inversion of a BCP template. We investigated the effect of solvent annealing time on the ordering of asymmetric, cylinder forming, polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) BCP. Phase separation of PS-b-P4VP was achieved by solvent vapor annealing (SVA) in a solvent atmosphere that is (partially) selective to P4VP to initially generate hexagonally arranged, cylindrical arrays of the expected structure. The morphology of the BCP changed from P4VP hexagonally packed cylinders to an 'inverse' structure with PS cylinders embedded in a P4VP matrix. This suggests that selective swelling occurs over time such that the swollen P4VP phase becomes the majority volume component. Metal ions (Ga3+, In3+) were infiltrated into the BCP templates by a solution-mediated infiltration approach, followed by an ultraviolet-ozone treatment to remove the polymer and oxidize the metallic ions to their oxides. The findings show that a single BCP can be used to create both metal oxide arrays and porous structures of metal oxides by simply varying the duration of the solvent annealing process. The resulting structures were analyzed through several methods including scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. XPS analyses confirmed the complete elimination of the BCP template and the presence of metal oxides. This study provides important insights into the development of functional BCP materials with inverse structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajan Singh
- AMBER Research Centre and
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02AK60, Ireland
| | - Tandra Ghoshal
- AMBER Research Centre and
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02AK60, Ireland
| | - Nadezda Prochukhan
- AMBER Research Centre and
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02AK60, Ireland
| | | | | | - Pravind Yadav
- AMBER Research Centre and
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02AK60, Ireland
| | - Sibu C. Padmanabhan
- AMBER Research Centre and
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02AK60, Ireland
| | - Michael A. Morris
- AMBER Research Centre and
School of Chemistry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2 D02AK60, Ireland
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2
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Zhao R, Wu H, Dong X, Xu M, Wang Z, Wang X. Enhancing the Toughness of Free-Standing Polyimide Films for Advanced Electronics Applications: A Study on the Impact of Film-Forming Processes. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:2073. [PMID: 37177218 PMCID: PMC10180538 DOI: 10.3390/polym15092073] [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: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
High-quality and free-standing polyimide (PI) film with desirable mechanical properties and uniformity is in high demand due to its widespread applications in highly precise flexible and chip-integrated sensors. In this study, a free-standing PI film with high toughness was successfully prepared using a diamine monomer with ether linkages. The prepared PI films exhibited significantly superior mechanical properties compared to PI films of the same molecular structure, which can be attributed to the systematic exploration of the film-forming process. The exploration of the film-forming process includes the curing procedures, film-forming substrates, and annealing treatments. Additionally, the thickness uniformity and surface homogeneity of free-standing films were crucial for toughness. Increasing the crystallinity of the PI films by eliminating residual stress also contributed to their high strength. The results demonstrate that by adjusting the above-mentioned factors, the prepared PI films possess excellent mechanical properties, with tensile strength and elongation at break of 194.71 MPa and 130.13%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Xuewen Wang
- Frontiers Science Center for Flexible Electronics (FSCFE), Shaanxi Institute of Flexible Electronics (SIFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
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3
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Navarro L, Thünemann AF, Yokosawa T, Spiecker E, Klinger D. Regioselective Seeded Polymerization in Block Copolymer Nanoparticles: Post-Assembly Control of Colloidal Features. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202208084. [PMID: 35790063 PMCID: PMC9544770 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202208084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Post-assembly modifications are efficient tools to adjust colloidal features of block copolymer (BCP) particles. However, existing methods often address particle shape, morphology, and chemical functionality individually. For simultaneous control, we transferred the concept of seeded polymerization to phase separated BCP particles. Key to our approach is the regioselective polymerization of (functional) monomers inside specific BCP domains. This was demonstrated in striped PS-b-P2VP ellipsoids. Here, polymerization of styrene preferably occurs in PS domains and increases PS lamellar thickness up to 5-fold. The resulting asymmetric lamellar morphology also changes the particle shape, i.e., increases the aspect ratio. Using 4-vinylbenzyl azide as co-monomer, azides as chemical functionalities can be added selectively to the PS domains. Overall, our simple and versatile method gives access to various multifunctional BCP colloids from a single batch of pre-formed particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucila Navarro
- Institute of PharmacyFreie Universität BerlinKönigin-Luise Straße 2–414195BerlinGermany
| | - Andreas F. Thünemann
- Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM)Unter den Eichen 8712205BerlinGermany
| | - Tadahiro Yokosawa
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) &Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM)Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, IZNFCauerstraße 391058ErlangenGermany
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) &Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM)Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, IZNFCauerstraße 391058ErlangenGermany
| | - Daniel Klinger
- Institute of PharmacyFreie Universität BerlinKönigin-Luise Straße 2–414195BerlinGermany
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4
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Navarro L, Thünemann AF, Yokosawa T, Spiecker E, Klinger D. Regioselective Seeded Polymerization in Block Copolymer Nanoparticles: Post‐Assembly Control of Colloidal Features. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202208084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucila Navarro
- Freie Universitat Berlin Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy GERMANY
| | - Andreas F. Thünemann
- Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und -prufung Division 6.5 Synthesis and Scattering of Nanostructure GERMANY
| | - Tadahiro Yokosawa
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM) GERMANY
| | - Erdmann Spiecker
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nurnberg Institute of Micro- and Nanostructure Research (IMN) & Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM) GERMANY
| | - Daniel Klinger
- Freie Universitat Berlin Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy Königin-Luise-Str. 2-4 14195 Berlin GERMANY
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5
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Senkum H, Kelly PV, Gramlich WM. Water-Stable Thin-Film Nanostructures from Amphiphilic Cationic Bottlebrush Block Copolymers by Grafting-through Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c01161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hathaithep Senkum
- Department of Chemistry, University of Maine, 5706, Orono, Maine 04469, United States
| | - Peter V. Kelly
- Department of Chemistry, University of Maine, 5706, Orono, Maine 04469, United States
| | - William M. Gramlich
- Department of Chemistry, University of Maine, 5706, Orono, Maine 04469, United States
- Advanced Structures and Composites Center, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469, United States
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6
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Roy D, Naskar B, Bala T. Exploring Langmuir-Blodgett technique to investigate effect of various subphase conditions on monolayers formed by amphiphilic block co-polymers tetronic 701 and tetronic 90R4. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.126924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Cummins C, Alvarez-Fernandez A, Bentaleb A, Hadziioannou G, Ponsinet V, Fleury G. Strategy for Enhancing Ultrahigh-Molecular-Weight Block Copolymer Chain Mobility to Access Large Period Sizes (>100 nm). LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:13872-13880. [PMID: 33175555 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Assembling ultrahigh-molecular-weight (UHMW) block copolymers (BCPs) in rapid time scales is perceived as a grand challenge in polymer science due to slow kinetics. Through surface engineering and identifying a nonvolatile solvent (propylene glycol methyl ether acetate, PGMEA), we showcase the impressive ability of a series of lamellar poly(styrene)-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) BCPs to self-assemble directly after spin-coating. In particular, we show the formation of large-period (≈111 nm) lamellar structures from a neat UHMW PS-b-P2VP BCP. The significant influence of solvent-polymer solubility parameters are explored to enhance the polymer chain mobility. After optimization using solvent vapor annealing, increased feature order of ultralarge-period PS-b-P2VP BCP patterns in 1 h is achieved. Isolated metallic and dielectric features are also demonstrated to exemplify the promise that large BCP periods offer for functional applications. The methods described in this article center on industry-compatible patterning schemes, solvents, and deposition techniques. Thus, our straightforward UHMW BCP strategy potentially paves a viable and practical path forward for large-scale integration in various sectors, e.g., photonic band gaps, polarizers, and membranes that demand ultralarge period sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cian Cummins
- CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR 5031, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Alberto Alvarez-Fernandez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE, U.K
| | - Ahmed Bentaleb
- CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR 5031, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | | | - Virginie Ponsinet
- CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, UMR 5031, 115 Avenue Schweitzer, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Guillaume Fleury
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, LCPO, UMR 5629, F-33600 Pessac, France
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8
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Workineh ZG, Pellicane G, Tsige M. Tuning Solvent Quality Induces Morphological Phase Transitions in Miktoarm Star Polymer Films. Macromolecules 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.0c00770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Giuseppe Pellicane
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Odontoiatriche e delle Immagini Morfologiche e Funzionali, Università degli Studi di Messina, Via Consolare Valeria 1 (Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico “G.Martino”), 98125 Messina, Italy
- CNR-IPCF, Viale F. Stagno d’Alcontres, 37-98158 Messina, Italy
- School of Chemistry and Physics, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa
| | - Mesfin Tsige
- Department of Polymer Science, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio United States
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9
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Hulkkonen H, Salminen T, Niemi T. Automated solvent vapor annealing with nanometer scale control of film swelling for block copolymer thin films. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:7909-7917. [PMID: 31538173 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01322a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Molecular self-assembly of block copolymers has been pursued as a next generation high-resolution, low-cost lithography technique. Solvent vapor annealing is a promising way of achieving self-assembled patterns from polymers with high interaction parameters, χ, or high molecular weights. Compared to thermal annealing, the assembly in a solvated state can be much faster, but the film swelling process is typically challenging to control and reproduce. We report the design and implementation of an automated solvent annealing system that addresses these issues. In this system the film swelling is controlled via local heating or cooling, which enables exceptionally fast and precise modulation of the swelling. The swelling of the polymer films follows preprogrammed annealing profiles with the help of a feedback loop that compares and tunes the film thickness with respect to the set point. The system therefore enables complex annealing profiles such as rapid cyclic swelling and deswelling. We show that the orientation of the pattern morphology and the amount of lattice defects are influenced by the used annealing profile. We demonstrate that optimized profiles significantly shorten the annealing time (<15 min) of high-χ and high-molecular weight poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Hulkkonen
- Nanophotonics, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Tampere University, 33101 Tampere, Finland.
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10
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Wang F, Altschuh P, Ratke L, Zhang H, Selzer M, Nestler B. Progress Report on Phase Separation in Polymer Solutions. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2019; 31:e1806733. [PMID: 30856293 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201806733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Polymeric porous media (PPM) are widely used as advanced materials, such as sound dampening foams, lithium-ion batteries, stretchable sensors, and biofilters. The functionality, reliability, and durability of these materials have a strong dependence on the microstructural patterns of PPM. One underlying mechanism for the formation of porosity in PPM is phase separation, which engenders polymer-rich and polymer-poor (pore) phases. Herein, the phase separation in polymer solutions is discussed from two different aspects: diffusion and hydrodynamic effects. For phase separation governed by diffusion, two novel morphological transitions are reviewed: "cluster-to-percolation" and "percolation-to-droplets," which are attributed to an effect that the polymer-rich and the solvent-rich phases reach the equilibrium states asynchronously. In the case dictated by hydrodynamics, a deterministic nature for the microstructural evolution during phase separation is scrutinized. The deterministic nature is caused by an interfacial-tension-gradient (solutal Marangoni force), which can lead to directional movement of droplets as well as hydrodynamic instabilities during phase separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Institute of Applied Materials-Computational Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Straße am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Patrick Altschuh
- Institute of Applied Materials-Computational Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Straße am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Institute of Digital Materials Science, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Moltkestraße 30, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Lorenz Ratke
- Institute of Materials Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Linder Hoehe, 51147, Cologne, Germany
| | - Haodong Zhang
- Institute of Applied Materials-Computational Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Straße am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Michael Selzer
- Institute of Applied Materials-Computational Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Straße am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Institute of Digital Materials Science, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Moltkestraße 30, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Britta Nestler
- Institute of Applied Materials-Computational Materials Science, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Straße am Forum 7, 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany
- Institute of Digital Materials Science, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, Moltkestraße 30, 76133, Karlsruhe, Germany
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