Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Neng Hu, Li Lin, Ezzeldin Metwalli, Lorenz Biessmann, Martine Philipp, Viet Hildebrand, Andre Laschewsky, Christine M. Papadakis, Robert Cubitt, Qi Zhong, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum
Summary: In situ neutron reflectivity is used to monitor the kinetics of water transfer in a thin film of a diblock copolymer with LCST and UCST thermoresponsive blocks. The film exhibits a complex response, including shrinkage, rearrangement, reswelling, and continuous transfer of D2O between the blocks. The presence of both LCST and UCST blocks in the film leads to different hydration kinetics and thermal response compared to a film with a single LCST transition.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jia-Wen Hong, Yi-Qing Jian, Yin-Ping Liao, Hsiang-Ho Hung, Tzu-Yen Huang, Andrew Nelson, I-Yu Tsao, Chun-Ming Wu, Ya-Sen Sun
Summary: By fine-tuning the composition and annealing temperature of blend films, the spatial distributions of polymer chains were examined. The surface preference of dPS chains varied under different annealing conditions for thin and thick films.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kevin Ho, Kris S. Kim, Sissi de Beer, Gilbert C. Walker
Summary: Investigations on the transitional composition between two thin-film morphologies of the block copolymer, polystyrene-block-poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PS-b-PtBuA), were conducted using near-field infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy mechanical measurements. The techniques allowed for block identification with nanoscale spatial resolution and elucidated the material's sub-surface composition, revealing distinct patterns of PS and PtBuA formation in different regions of the polymer film.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Wenzheng Wei, Dung Vu, Zhan Zhang, Frederick J. J. Walker, Charles H. H. Ahn
Summary: We report on the superconductivity in Nd1-xEuxNiO2, where Eu is used as a 4f dopant. By employing an in situ molecular beam epitaxy reduction process, we achieve the superconducting phase, providing an alternative method to induce superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates compared to the ex situ CaH2 reduction process. The Nd1-xEuxNiO2 samples exhibit a step-terrace surface structure, have a T-c onset of 21 K at x = 0.25, and show a large upper critical field possibly due to Eu 4f doping.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Seungyeop Jeong, Guangcui Yuan, Sushil K. Satija, Nayeong Jeon, Eunji Lee, Youngjin Kim, Soohoon Choi, Jaseung Koo
Summary: An important challenge in brine treatment is to increase water permeance while maintaining salt rejection in thin-film composite membranes. This study demonstrates the use of a Langmuir-Schaefer technique to fabricate polyamide thin films with nanochannel structures. UV treatment enhances water permeance without compromising salt rejection performance.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Chongyong Nam, Won Bo Lee, YongJoo Kim
Summary: This study used dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) to investigate the assembled structures of rod-coil diblock copolymer and nanoparticle blends. The distribution of nanoparticles in the smectic lamellar phase was analyzed, and the interactions between nanoparticles and rods or coils were discussed.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Thomas B. Sobyra, Tyler S. Mathis, Yury Gogotsi, Paul Fenter
Summary: MXenes, a family of two-dimensional materials, are attractive for energy storage and other technologies due to their high-rate charging capabilities. In situ and operando X-ray reflectivity were used to characterize the ion intercalation process and structural changes in MXene films. Negative potential sweeps resulted in contraction of interlayer spacing and loss of electron density, likely due to Li+ ion insertion and water removal, with a continuous and discrete changes associated with capacitive charge and pseudocapacitive charging process, respectively.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Przemyslaw Pula, Arkadiusz Leniart, Pawel W. Majewski
Summary: Solvent-assisted block copolymer self-assembly is a promising method for controlling the morphology and ordering kinetics of BCPs, thus advancing their practical applications. However, the development of a universal BCP patterning protocol remains challenging due to various factors influencing the self-assembly scenario. This review aims to summarize the seminal reports and latest progress in solvent-assisted directed self-assembly of BCPs, providing theoretical background and highlighting significant research areas and emerging high-tech applications where solvent-assisted processing could have a dominant role.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yijun Qiao, Qiming He, Hsin-Hsiang Huang, Dean Mastropietro, Zhang Jiang, Hua Zhou, Yuhong Liu, Matthew V. Tirrell, Wei Chen
Summary: In this study, the response of polymer brushes to shear flow is explored using in situ X-ray reflectivity. The research investigates how poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) brushes stretch and change in different environments, providing valuable insights into the behaviours and mechanisms that govern these responses.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daniel F. Sunday, Jacob L. Thelen, Chun Zhou, Jiaxing Ren, Paul F. Nealey, R. Joseph Kline
Summary: The study investigates how interactions between the substrate and block copolymers (BCPs) with varying substrate affinity affect the interfacial width between polymer components. The results show that strong adsorption of P2VP to the substrate significantly expands the interface width, while the PMMA block appears to be more mobile.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hoang M. Nguyen, Ariane V. Mader, Swarnalok De, Jaana Vapaavuori
Summary: The effect of dip-coating parameters on the morphology evolution of BCP thin films was studied, obtaining a hexagonally packed BCP pattern with long-range order without the need for post-annealing processes. This study extends the understanding of the parameters affecting the formed surface patterns and their interplay to more materials.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Alexey S. Merekalov, Yaroslav I. Derikov, Alexander A. Ezhov, Yury A. Kriksin, Igor Ya. Erukhimovich, Yaroslav Kudryavtsev
Summary: The rearrangement of lamellar and hexagonal patterns in thin films of copolymers is studied under the influence of an AC electric field and chloroform vapor. It is shown that a strong AC field can effectively orient microphase-separated domains along the field direction. The risk of breakdown is reduced and effects related to ionic transport are eliminated. The role of exposure time, field strength, and frequency is investigated. The observed morphological rearrangements can be important for practical applications.
Article
Polymer Science
Wennie Yun Lee, Dana Chapman, Fei Yu, William R. T. Tait, R. Paxton Thedford, Guillaume Freychet, Mikhail Zhernenkov, Lara A. Estroff, Ulrich B. Wiesner
Summary: Self-assembled block copolymer thin films and their nanocomposites have diverse applications due to their nanostructures. Optical super-resolution microscopy (OSRM) has emerged as an alternative method for characterizing nanoscopic polymer morphology. This study focuses on self-assembled triblock terpolymer thin films with all three blocks exposed at the top surface, and demonstrates the use of OSRM for multicolor characterization of chemically distinct nanodomains.
Article
Nuclear Science & Technology
Sang-hwa Lee, Byung-Gun Park, Young-ku Jin, Hyun Woo Seo, Dong Min Kim
Summary: A B-based thin-film neutron monitor was developed for in situ neutron beam monitoring of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute neutron depth profiling system. The neutron transmission ratios and collision heating of the designed samples were estimated, and the results showed that the B and BN thin films had high neutron transmission ratios and were less affected by temperature.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Ayse Caglayan, Sushil K. Satija, David Uhrig, Kunlun Hong, Tadanori Koga, Bulent Akgun
Summary: The impact of polymer chain architecture on the swelling of polymer thin films in the presence of supercritical CO2 was investigated. The results showed that star polymers behave similarly to linear polymers in terms of swelling, but exhibit less swelling at smaller film thicknesses.
JOURNAL OF POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Xuehe Jiang, J. Benedikt Mietner, Constantin Harder, Rajesh Komban, Shouzheng Chen, Christian Strelow, Uta Sazama, Michael Froeba, Christoph Gimmler, Peter Muller-Buschbaum, Stephan V. Roth, Julien R. G. Navarro
Summary: A cellulose nanofibril-based hybrid gel material was developed by grafting polymerized stearyl acrylate (PSA) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) onto cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) via Cu-mediated radical polymerization (SET-LRP). The hybrid material (UCNP-PSA-CNF) showed efficient modification of the CNF with 1.8% UCNPs. The gel exhibited good viscoelasticity, shear-thinning behavior, and shape retention, making it suitable for 3D gel printing.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xinyu Jiang, Sebastian Grott, Volker Koerstgens, Kerstin S. Wienhold, Zerui Li, Jinsheng Zhang, Christopher R. Everett, Matthias Schwartzkopf, Stephan V. Roth, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum
Summary: Slot-die coating is a promising method to commercialize organic solar cells. In this study, the film formation kinetics of a nonfullerene active layer blend of PffBT4T-2OD and EH-IDTBR was investigated using in situ grazing-incidence small angle X-ray scattering and UV-vis spectroscopy. A mesoscale domain growth process with distinct molecular stacking and aggregation behavior was observed during solvent evaporation. The printed active layers exhibited specific crystallite structures dominated by PffBT4T-2OD and EH-IDTBR.
Article
Instruments & Instrumentation
F. Voegl, L. Balacescu, O. Holderer, S. Pasini, S. Staringer, G. Brandl, V. Ossovyi, H. Feilbach, P. Mueller-Buschbaum, A. M. Stadler, J. Fitter, T. E. Schrader
Summary: A new sample environment called Bio-Oven has been developed for the Neutron Spin Echo (NSE) Spectrometer J-NSE Phoenix, allowing active temperature control and the capability to perform Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) measurements along with neutron measurements. The Bio-Oven utilizes optical fibers to decouple the free space optics from the laser sources and detectors, enabling simultaneous collection of light from three scattering angles. Test experiments with silica nanoparticles and apomyoglobin protein sample demonstrated the effectiveness of in situ DLS in monitoring the aggregation state during neutron measurements.
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pan Ding, Hongyu An, Philipp Zellner, Tianfu Guan, Jianyong Gao, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Bert M. Weckhuysen, Ward van der Stam, Ian D. Sharp
Summary: This study investigates the impact of catalyst ink formulation on CO2 electrolysis and finds that Nafion is essential for achieving stable product distributions. The content of Nafion and the solvent composition regulate the internal structure of Nafion coatings and the catalyst morphology, thus significantly impacting CO2 electrolysis performance.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lucas Stieglitz, Christina Geiger, Paula F. F. Grossmann, Moritz Kraenzlein, Katia Rodewald, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Bernhard Rieger
Summary: This work presents the fiber spinning of tailored isotactic polypropylene (iPP) by melt spinning and melt drawing, obtaining fibers with an adjustable diameter of 40-400 µm. The crystallinity of the fibers is increased through thermal annealing and analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). Comparing the mechanical performance, ultra-high molecular weight iPP (UHMW-iPP) fibers exhibit superior tensile strength (up to 400 MPa) compared to commercially available fibers (approximately 50 MPa). However, UHMW-iPP has a limited timeframe for extrusion, after which extrusion rupture occurs likely due to increased melt viscosity.
Article
Physics, Condensed Matter
A. S. Cameron, Y. Tymoshenko, P. Y. Portnichenko, A. S. Sukhanov, M. Ciomaga Hatnean, D. McK Paul, G. Balakrishnan, R. Cubitt, D. S. Inosov
Summary: In previous studies, the noncentrosymmetric superconductor Ru7B3 has shown unusual behavior in its vortex lattice, with vortices dissociating from the crystal lattice and exhibiting a complex field-history dependence. In this study, the vortex lattice form factor of Ru7B3 was investigated to check for deviations from established models. The results suggest that the anisotropic London model is a good fit, indicating minimal alterations to the vortex structure due to broken inversion symmetry. Penetration depth and coherence length were also extracted from the data.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICS-CONDENSED MATTER
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Panpan Zhang, Xuan Zhang, Lucas P. P. Kreuzer, Dominik M. M. Schwaiger, Min Lu, Robert Cubitt, Qi Zhong, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum
Summary: The kinetics of UV radiation-induced collapse and recovery in thermally cycled and rehydrated double-responsive copolymer films were studied using in situ neutron reflectivity. The thermal treatment of the film above its transition temperature followed by rapid cooling induced rehydration of the collapsed film. The rehydration process consisted of D2O absorption, chain rearrangement, and film reswelling. UV irradiation-induced collapse and recovery processes were slower in films with thermal stimulus history, suggesting the importance of considering the thermal history in the design of sensors and detectors based on double-responsive copolymer films.
Article
Polymer Science
Chia-Hsin Ko, Cristiane Henschel, Geethu P. Meledam, Martin A. Schroer, Renjun Guo, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Andre Laschewsky, Christine M. Papadakis
Summary: This study reveals that the micellar structures of PMMA-b-PNIPAM diblock copolymers in aqueous solution can be controlled by varying the content of methanol. The methanol content strongly influences the size, aggregation number, shell thickness, and interactions of the micelles.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Frank Hartmann, Martin Bitsch, Bart-Jan Niebuur, Marcus Koch, Tobias Kraus, Christian Dietz, Robert W. Stark, Christopher R. Everett, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Oliver Janka, Markus Gallei
Summary: This study synthesized a high-molecular-weight polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) block copolymer as a soft matrix to fabricate nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles. The influence of different ratios of PMMA-coated FePt nanoparticles on the self-assembled morphology was investigated. Statistical analysis revealed that the particles mainly self-assembled inside the PMMA phase at low particle concentrations, while higher particle ratios had a negative effect on the morphology. The magnetic addressability of the nanoparticles inside the nanocomposite films was confirmed using bimodal magnetic force microscopy.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ruijie Ma, Xinyu Jiang, Jiehao Fu, Tao Zhu, Cenqi Yan, Kexin Wu, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Gang Li
Summary: The morphological features and film formation processes of high-performance donor-acceptor binary photovoltaic blends using three representative solvents are investigated. It is found that the solvent used has a significant effect on the efficiency of the PM6:L8-BO system, while the PM6:eC9 system is less influenced by the solvent. The in situ and ex situ studies reveal the reasons behind the observed differences and provide insights into the optimization of organic solar cells.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
M. Crisanti, A. O. Leonov, R. Cubitt, A. Labh, H. Wilhelm, Marcus P. Schmidt, C. Pappas
Summary: This study systematically investigates the stability and ordering of the tilted spiral state in the B20 cubic helimagnet Cu2OSeO3. The temperature and field dependencies of this state are analyzed, and it is found that the tilted spiral state can persist up to temperatures higher than previously reported. The observed behavior is explained by the temperature dependence of the anisotropy constants.
PHYSICAL REVIEW RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Ming Yang, Peng Chen, Jiapei Li, Ruoxuan Qi, Yudai Huang, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Ya-Jun Cheng, Kunkun Guo, Yonggao Xia
Summary: Silicon oxide (SiOx) is a promising anode material for high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its abundant reserves, facile synthesis, and high theoretical capacity. However, its practical use is limited by poor cycling stability caused by volume change during lithiation/delithiation. The use of a waterborne poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) binder enriched with an organic solvent (DMF) improves the performance of SiOx-based anodes in terms of capacity retention and rate capacity, enabling its practical application in both half-cell and full-cell configurations.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mirjam Hofmaier, Julian E. Heger, Sarah Lentz, Simona Schwarz, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum, Thomas Scheibel, Andreas Fery, Martin Mueller
Summary: This study investigated the influence of the variation in the number of repeating sequence motives on protein folding within eADF4(Cx) films. The results provided new insights into the structure formation and film properties of intrinsically disordered protein systems.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Suo Tu, Ting Tian, Apostolos Vagias, Linus F. Huber, Liangzhen Liu, Suzhe Liang, Roland A. Fischer, Sigrid Bernstorff, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum
Summary: This study achieves highly tailorable conduction of PEDOT:PSS by regulating the electronic and ionic contribution using additive engineering. By investigating the charge transport mechanisms and their correlations with morphological alterations, the conductivity evolution of the materials under different humidity conditions is revealed.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Anna Lena Oechsle, Tobias Schoener, Christina Geiger, Suo Tu, Peixi Wang, Robert Cubitt, Peter Mueller-Buschbaum
Summary: The conductivity properties of the conductive polymer blend PEDOT:PSS are investigated under the influences of ionic liquid treatment and ambient humidity. The results show that the ionic conductivity of the IL-treated PEDOT:PSS films is enhanced by the intake of water molecules, while the electronic conductivity of all PEDOT:PSS films decreases with increasing humidity.
