Atomic Force Microscopy of Polymer/Layered Silicate Nanocomposites (PLSNs): A Brief Overview

Abstract

Summary Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used frequently in polymer research in particular for imaging topography and phase morphology of multi‐component systems. In this work, we review the application of different techniques of the AFM for the structural characterization of polymer layered silicate nanocomposites (PLSNs) with various classes of polymers (such as glassy and semicrystalline polymers, thermosetting resins etc.) as matrix. We demonstrate that AFM can be conveniently used to image not only the morphology of the composites materials with nanometer resolution but also to gain insight into their nanomechanical properties.

The role of low light intensity: A cheap, stable, and solidly efficient amorphous Sb2S3 powder/hypericin composite/PVA matrix loaded with electrolyte solar cell

“…As already mentioned in the experimental section, to achieve low‐intensity light we used an optical glass lens (25% sun illumination) and a flow water lens (5% sun illumination) interposed between the lamp and the cell to prevent its heating. This is very important due to the fact that the solar cell efficiency is affected by temperature, as often found in outdoor comparative testing .…”