Structures in multicomponent polymer films : their formation, observation, applications in electronics and biotechnology

Several strategies to form multicomponent films of functional polymers, with micron, submicron and nanometer structures, intended for plastic electronics and biotechnology are presented. These approaches are based on film deposition from polymer solution onto a rotating substrate (spin-casting), a method implemented already on manufacturing lines. Film structures are determined with compositional (nanometer) depth profiling and (submicron) imaging modes of dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry, near-field scanning optical microscopy (with submicron resolution) and scanning probe microscopy (revealing nanometer features). Self-organization of spin-cast polymer mixtures is discussed in detail, since it offers a one-step process to deposit and align simultaneously domains, rich in different polymers, forming various device elements: (i) Surface segregation drives self-stratification of nanometer lamellae for solar cells and anisotropic conductors. (ii) Cohesion energy density controls morphological transition from lamellar (optimal for encapsulated transistors) to lateral structures (suggested for light emitting diodes with variable color). (iii) Selective adhesion to substrate microtemplates, patterned chemically, orders lateral structures for plastic circuitries. (iv) Submicron imprints of water droplets (breath figures) decorate selectively micron-sized domains, and can be used in devices with hierarchic structure. In addition, selective protein adsorption to regular polymer micropatterns, formed with soft lithography after spin-casting, suggests applications in protein chip technology. An approach to reduce lateral blend film structures to submicron scale is also presented, based on (annealed) films of multicomponent nanoparticles

Enhanced Piezoelectricity of Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride Fibers for Energy Harvesting

Piezoelectric polymers are promising energy materials for wearable and implantable applications for replacing bulky batteries in small and flexible electronics. Therefore, many research studies are focused on understanding the behavior of polymers at a molecular level and designing new polymer-based generators using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In this work, we investigated the influence of voltage polarity and ambient relative humidity in electrospinning of PVDF for energy-harvesting applications. A multitechnique approach combining microscopy and spectroscopy was used to study the content of the β-phase and piezoelectric properties of PVDF fibers. We shed new light on β-phase crystallization in electrospun PVDF and showed the enhanced piezoelectric response of the PVDF fiber-based generator produced with the negative voltage polarity at a relative humidity of 60%. Above all, we proved that not only crystallinity but also surface chemistry is crucial for improving piezoelectric performance in PVDF fibers. Controlling relative humidity and voltage polarity increased the d33 piezoelectric coefficient for PVDF fibers by more than three times and allowed us to generate a power density of 0.6 μW·cm-2 from PVDF membranes. This study showed that the electrospinning technique can be used as a single-step process for obtaining a vast spectrum of PVDF fibers exhibiting different physicochemical properties with β-phase crystallinity reaching up to 74%. The humidity and voltage polarity are critical factors in respect of chemistry of the material on piezoelectricity of PVDF fibers, which establishes a novel route to engineer materials for energy-harvesting and sensing applications

Surface Potential Driven Water Harvesting from Fog.

Access to clean water is a global challenge, and fog collectors are a promising solution. Polycarbonate (PC) fibers have been used in fog collectors but with limited efficiency. In this study, we show that controlling voltage polarity and humidity during the electrospinning of PC fibers improves their surface properties for water collection capability. We experimentally measured the effect of both the surface morphology and the chemistry of PC fiber on their surface potential and mechanical properties in relation to the water collection efficiency from fog. PC fibers produced at high humidity and with negative voltage polarity show a superior water collection rate combined with the highest tensile strength. We proved that electric potential on surface and morphology are crucial, as often designed by nature, for enhancing the water collection capabilities via the single-step production of fibers without any postprocessing needs

The influence of sterilization on properties of polyurethane/polylactide blend

The biodegradable polyurethane/polylactide blend was treated with low temperature hydrogen peroxide plasma, ethylene oxide and immersing in ethanol combined with ultraviolet radiation. The samples sterilized by hydrogen peroxide and ethylene oxide stood practically unaffected, while UV/EtOH caused distinct changes in their mechanical properties. For example the significant reduction of tensile strength occurred, elongation at break became twice lower, while the Young’s modulus increased by 23%. The XPS measurements showed that after all types of treatment atomic carbon and nitrogen concentrations in the surface layer was slightly lower than in the bulk. Instead the surface layer was more enriched with oxygen. Ethylene oxide sterilization caused that both surfaces became more hydrophobic i.e. the contact angle increased about 15% for the top surface and 8% for the bottom surface, respectively. Sterilization with ethanol and UV radiation changed the nature of surface into more hydrophilic, the contact angle of the top surface was reduced about 6% and the bottom about 24%. The FT-IR spectra of all sterilized samples were recorded and discussed. From all used sterilization methods only hydrogen peroxide plasma is fully suitable for biodegradable PU/PLA blend

Examination of polymer/metal interface modified by self-assembled monolayer by Kelvin probe force microscopy and secondary ion mass spectrometry

Buried interfaces between a polystyrene (PS) or polar poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin film and the gold surface patterned with CH_{3}- and COOH-terminated alkanethiols self-assembled monolayers (SAM) were examined via Kelvin probe force microscopy. Chemical composition of the interface was probed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The contact potential difference maps measured on the PS and the PMMA films show inverted contrast. This observation is discussed in terms of reorientations of the COOH-SAM net dipole moments induced by interactions with PMMA