Electron microscopy studies are used to explore the morphology of thin poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) and polystyrene sulfonate acid (PEDOT:PSS) films. The figures show that the films are composed of grains with diameters in the range of about 50 nm. Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy analysis reveals that individual grains have a PEDOT‐rich core and a PSS‐rich shell with a thickness of about 5–10 nm. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is then used to analyze the topography of fracture surfaces of ruptured PEDOT:PSS tensile specimens. These AFM scans also show that the films are composed of grains dispersed in a matrix. The investigations presented herein yield a picture of PEDOT:PSS morphology with unprecedented clarity.
Surface acoustic wave propagation on a microscopic two-dimensional phononic crystal consisting of a square lattice of holes is imaged in two dimensions and in real time at frequencies up to 1 GHz by means of pulsed ultrashort optical excitation and detection. The acoustic dispersion relation obtained by spatiotemporal Fourier transforms shows the opening of stop bands at the zone boundaries for surface waves traveling parallel to the phononic crystal axes. We detect pronounced Bloch harmonics above the stop band, and reveal the spatial mode distributions at different frequencies. We also observe phonon collimation for frequencies at which the constant-frequency surfaces become square in shape.
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