Solution processable fullerene and copolymer bulk heterojunctions are widely used as the active layers of solar cells. In this work, scanning time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is used to examine the distribution of [6,6]phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (rrP3HT) that forms the bulk heterojunction. The planar phase separation of P3HT:PCBM is observed by ToF-SIMS imaging. The depth profile of the fragment distribution that reflects the molecular distribution is achieved by low energy Cs(+) ion sputtering. The depth profile clearly shows a vertical phase separation of P3HT:PCBM before annealing, and hence, the inverted device architecture is beneficial. After annealing, the phase segregation is suppressed, and the device efficiency is dramatically enhanced with a normal device structure. The 3D image is obtained by stacking the 2D ToF-SIMS images acquired at different sputtering times, and 50 nm features are clearly differentiated. The whole imaging process requires less than 2 h, making it both rapid and versatile.
Dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS) analysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was conducted using a quadrupole mass analyzer with various combinations of continuous C(60)(+) and Ar(+) ion sputtering. Individually, the Ar(+) beam failed to generate fragments above m/z 200, and the C(60)(+) beam generated molecular fragments of m/z ~1000. By combining the two beams, the auxiliary Ar(+) beam, which is proposed to suppress carbon deposition due to C(60)(+) bombardment and/or remove graphitized polymer, the sputtering range of the C(60)(+) beam is extended. Another advantage of this technique is that the high sputtering rate and associated high molecular ion intensity of the C(60)(+) beam generate adequate high-mass fragments that mask the damage from the Ar(+) beam. As a result, fragments at m/z ~900 can be clearly observed. As a depth-profiling tool, the single C(60)(+) beam cannot reach a steady state for either PET or PMMA at high ion fluence, and the intensity of the molecular fragments produced by the beam decreases with increasing C(60)(+) fluence. As a result, the single C(60)(+) beam is suitable for profiling surface layers with limited thickness. With C(60)(+)-Ar(+) co-sputtering, although the initial drop in intensity is more significant than with single C(60)(+) ionization because of the damage introduced by the auxiliary Ar(+), the intensity levels indicate that a more steady-state process can be achieved. In addition, the secondary ion intensity at high fluence is higher with co-sputtering. As a result, the sputtered depth is enhanced with co-sputtering and the technique is suitable for profiling thick layers. Furthermore, co-sputtering yields a smoother surface than single C(60)(+) sputtering.
Self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-modified nano-materials are a new technology to deliver drug molecules. While the majority of these depend on covalently immobilizing molecules on the surface, it is proposed that electrostatic interactions may be used to deliver drugs. By tuning the surface potential of solid substrates with SAMs, drug molecules could be either absorbed on or desorbed from substrates through the difference in electrostatic interactions around the selected iso-electric point (IEP). In this work, the surface of silicon substrates was tailored with various ratios of 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) and 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS), which form amine- and thiol-bearing SAMs, respectively. The ratio of the functional groups on the silicon surface was quantified by X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS); in general, the deposition kinetics of APTMS were found to be faster than those of MPTMS. Furthermore, for solutions with high MPTMS concentrations, the relative deposition rate of APTMS increased dramatically due to the acid-base reaction in the solution and subsequent electrostatic interactions between the molecules and the substrate. The zeta potential in aqueous electrolytes was determined with an electro-kinetic analyzer. By depositing SAMs of binary functional groups in varied ratios, the surface potential and IEP of silicon substrates could be fine-tuned. For <50% amine concentration in SAMs, the IEP changed linearly with the chemical composition from <2 to 7.18. For higher amine concentrations, the IEP slowly increased with concentration to 7.94 because the formation of hydrogen-bonding suppressed the subsequent protonation of amines.
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