Substrate temperature dependence of the structure of polythiophene thin films obtained by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE)

Califano, Valeria; Bloisi, F.; Vicari, L.; Barra, Mario; Cassinese, A.; Fanelli, Esther; Buzio, Renato; Valbusa, U.; Carella, Antonio; Roviello, Antonio

doi:10.1051/epjap/2009130

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Control of various process parameters has been shown to tune film morphology. For instance, MAPLE has been shown to control preferential crystal orientation and the extent of crystallinity in thin polymer films by adjusting the matrix formulation and substrate temperature, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Additive Growth and Crystallization of Polymer Films

et al. 2016

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We demonstrated a polymeric thin film fabrication process in which molecular-scale crystallization proceeds with additive film growth, by employing an innovative vapor-assisted deposition process termed matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE). In comparison to solution-casting commonly adopted for the deposition of polymer thin films, this physical vapor deposition (PVD) methodology can prolong the time scale of film formation and allow for the manipulation of temperature during deposition. For the deposition of molecular and atomic systems, such a PVD manner has been demonstrated to facilitate molecular ordering and delicately manipulate crystalline morphology during film growth. Here, using MAPLE, we deposited thin films of a model polymer, poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), atop a temperature-controlled substrate with an average growth rate of less than 10 nm/h. The mechanism of deposition is sequential addition of nanoscale liquid droplets. We discovered that the deposition process leads to the formation of two-dimensional (2D) PEO crystals, composed of monolamellar crystals laterally grown from larger nucleus droplets. The 2D crystalline coverage and crystal thickness of the films can be manipulated with two processing parameters, deposition time, and temperature.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Additive Growth and Crystallization of Polymer Films

et al. 2016

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“…The development of matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE), which provides a gentle means for the deposition of high molecular polymers from the near-gas-phase growth conditions, − offers a unique opportunity for bottom-up polymer film growth to control morphology. For instance, it has been shown that MAPLE can be used to control preferential crystal orientation and the extent of crystallinity in polymer thin films by adjusting the matrix formulation and substrate temperature, respectively. Recently, we demonstrated the sequential growth and crystallization of polymer thin films deposited via MAPLE at slow growth rates .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Irreversible Adsorption Controls Crystallization in Vapor-Deposited Polymer Thin Films

Jeong

Napolitano

Arnold

et al. 2016

J. Phys. Chem. Lett.

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Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) provides a gentle means for the quasi-vapor deposition of macromolecules. It offers a unique opportunity for the bottom-up control of polymer crystallization as film growth and crystallization occur simultaneously. Surprisingly, with increasing deposition time, it has been shown that crystallization becomes prohibited despite the availability of polymer via continuous deposition. In this Letter, we investigate the molecular origins of suppressed crystallization in poly(ethylene oxide) films deposited by MAPLE atop silicon substrates. We find that suppressed crystallization results from the formation of an irreversibly adsorbed polymer nanolayer at the substrate that forms during deposition. Substrate temperature is shown to influence the stability of the irreversibly adsorbed nanolayer and, hence, polymer thin film crystallization. Our investigation offers new insight into how temperature and interfacial interactions can serve as a new toolbox to tune polymer film morphology in bottom-up deposition.

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“…Charge mobility is affected by both polymer conjugation length and chain packing, so that highly regioregular polymers are required. We have successfully used MAPLE technique in order to deposit regio-regular H-T poly [3-(4-octyloxyphenyl)thiophene] (POOPT) thin films on glass ( Figure 6) and KBr substrates [24,42] and examined the effect of substrate temperature on the conformation and structure of the films [21]. FTIR Figure 8: The position of the absorption peak in the visible region of the spectrum is plotted versus substrate temperature during MAPLE deposition.…”

Section: Polythiophenementioning

confidence: 99%

Matrix‐Assisted Pulsed Laser Thin Film Deposition by Using Nd:YAG Laser

Bloisi

Barra

Cassinese

et al. 2012

Journal of Nanomaterials

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Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) is a deposition technique, developed from Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) especially well suited for producing organic/polymeric thin films, which can take advantage from using Nd:YAG laser. Depending on the relative values of light absorption coefficients of the solvent and of the molecules to be deposited, laser energy is directly absorbed by the solvent or is transferred to it, providing a softer desorption mechanism with respect to PLD. In PLD ultraviolet laser radiation is commonly used, but in MAPLE, since easily damaged molecules are usually involved, the use of Nd:YAG laser offers the advantage to allow selecting laser wavelength from ultraviolet (266 nm or 355 nm, corresponding to 4.66 eV or 3.49 eV photon energies, resp.) to visible (532 nm, 2.33 eV) to infrared (1064 nm, 1.17 eV). In this paper, the MAPLE technique is described in details, together with a survey of current and possible future applications for both organic and biomaterial deposition taking into account the advantages of using an Nd:YAG laser. Beside other results, we have experimental confirmation that MAPLE applications are not limited to transparent molecules highly soluble in light absorbing solvent, thus allowing deposition of poorly soluble light absorbing molecules suspended in a light transparent liquid.

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Substrate temperature dependence of the structure of polythiophene thin films obtained by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE)

Cited by 9 publications

References 38 publications

Additive Growth and Crystallization of Polymer Films

Additive Growth and Crystallization of Polymer Films

Irreversible Adsorption Controls Crystallization in Vapor-Deposited Polymer Thin Films

Matrix‐Assisted Pulsed Laser Thin Film Deposition by Using Nd:YAG Laser

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