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In situ imaging and height reconstruction of phase separation processes in polymer blends during spin coating

journal contribution
posted on 2011-06-23, 11:43 authored by Stephen Ebbens, Richard Hodgkinson, Andrew J. Parnell, Alan Dunbar, Simon MartinSimon Martin
Spin coating polymer blend thin films provides a method to produce multiphase functional layers of high uniformity covering large surface areas. Applications for such layers include photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes where performance relies upon the nanoscale phase separation morphology of the spun !lm. Furthermore, at micrometer scales, phase separation provides a route to produce self-organized structures for templating applications. Understanding the factors that determine the final phase-separated morphology in these systems is consequently an important goal. However, it has to date proved problematic to fully test theoretical models for phase separation during spin coating, due to the high spin speeds, which has limited the spatial resolution of experimental data obtained during the coating process. Without this fundamental understanding, production of optimized micro- and nanoscale structures is hampered. Here, we have employed synchronized stroboscopic illumination together with the high light gathering sensitivity of an electron-multiplying charge-coupled device camera to optically observe structure evolution in such blends during spin coating. Furthermore the use of monochromatic illumination has allowed interference reconstruction of three-dimensional topographies of the spin-coated film as it dries and phase separates with nanometer precision. We have used this new method to directly observe the phase separation process during spinning for a polymer blend (PS-PI) for the first time, providing new insights into the spin-coating process and opening up a route to understand and control phase separation structures.

History

School

  • Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering

Department

  • Materials

Citation

EBBENS, S. ... et al, 2011. In situ imaging and height reconstruction of phase separation processes in polymer blends during spin coating. ACS Nano, 5 (6), pp. 5124–5131.

Publisher

ACS Publications (© American Chemical Society)

Version

  • NA (Not Applicable or Unknown)

Publication date

2011

Notes

This item is Closed Access. To access the final edited and published work see http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/nn201210e

ISSN

1936-0851

Language

  • en

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