Characterization by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy of the Phase Composition at Interfaces in Thick Films of Polymer Blends

Abstract

Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) has been used as a fast, user-friendly, and noninvasive tool for characterizing the phase composition differences at the substrate and air interfaces in thick films of polymer blends. A clearly different phase composition at the blend/glass interface and at the blend/air interface has been detected. We show that PCBM preferentially accumulates at the glass/blend interface, while P3HT preferentially accumulates at the blend/air interface, by comparing the integrated signal intensity of the luminescence coming from both interfaces. Our results demonstrate that CLSM can be used conveniently for the fast identification of a preferential phase segregation at interfaces in polymer blends. This is useful in the research field on devices (like sensors or planar waveguides) that are based on very thick layers (thickness higher than 1 μm).

Modulation of Photoinduced Phase Segregation and Stress-Driven Nanoscale Cracking in Hybrid Halide Perovskite Solar Cells

“…The light-induced trap clusters are seeded at the existing sites and selectively occur in the defect rich region of the sample surface or expand to the adjacent region in an accelerated manner with the illumination. According to the distribution of iodine rich phase points tending to defects, confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to verify the regional distribution of halide segregation. − First, the two-dimensional schematic in Figure a is used to describe the PIHS process. The directional migration of halide ions under illumination resulted in the formation of an iodine/bromide rich phase.…”

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