Capillary wrinkling of floating thin polymer films

A freely floating polymer film, tens of nanometers in thickness, wrinkles under the capillary force exerted by a drop of water placed on its surface. The wrinkling pattern is characterized by the number and length of the wrinkles. The dependence of the number of wrinkles on the elastic properties of the film and on the capillary force exerted by the drop confirms recent theoretical predictions on the selection of a pattern with a well-defined length scale in the wrinkling instability. We combined scaling relations that were developed for the length of the wrinkles with those for the number of wrinkles to construct a metrology for measuring the elasticity and thickness of ultrathin films that relies on no more than a dish of fluid and a low-magnification microscope. We validated this method on polymer films modified by plasticizer. The relaxation of the wrinkles affords a simple method to study the viscoelastic response of ultrathin films.     

Using selective withdrawal to coat microparticles

We report a method that uses the process of selective withdrawal of one fluid through a second immiscible fluid to coat small particles with polymer films. Fluid is withdrawn through a tube with its orifice slightly above a water-oil interface. Upon increasing the flow rate, there is a transition from a state where only oil is withdrawn to a state where the water, containing the particles to be coated and appropriate prepolymer reagents, is entrained in a thin spout along with the oil. The entrained particles eventually cause the spout interface to break, producing a thin coat of controllable thickness around each particle, which can be subsequently polymerized using chemical reagents, light, or heat. This method allows flexibility in the chemical composition and thickness of the conformal coatings.     

Rheological measurements of the thermoviscoelastic response of ultrathin polymer films

Measurement of the thermoviscoelastic behavior of glass-forming liquids in the nanometer size range offers the possibility of increased understanding of the fundamental nature of the glass-transition phenomenon itself. We present results from use of a previously unknown method for characterizing the rheological response of nanometer-thick polymer films. The method relies on the imaging capabilities of the atomic force microscope and the reduction in size of the classical bubble inflation method of measuring the biaxial creep response of ultrathin polymer films. Creep compliance as a function of time and temperature was measured in the linear viscoelastic regime for films of poly(vinyl acetate) at a thickness of 27.5 nanometers. Although little evidence for a change in the glass temperature is found, the material exhibits previously unobserved stiffening in the rubbery response regime.     

Spreading of liquids on highly curved surfaces

Because of surface tension, liquid films coating fibers or the insides of capillary tubes are usually unstable and break up into a periodic array of droplets. However, if these films are very thin (of thickness in the range of tens of angstroms), they can be stabilized by long-range van der Waals forces. A simple method for making such wetting films consists of slowly drawing the fiber out of a bath of liquid; the thickness of the film is then measured using a method based on gas chromatography. If these liquid films are thick, and are forced to flow, they may then not break up: the instability becomes "saturated."     

基于分子印迹敏感膜和白光反射干涉的残留药物检测技术

由于印迹聚合物薄膜表面具有孔洞结构而表面不平整,因此为测量其光学厚度建立了薄膜反射干涉谱（RIfS）的阶梯模型,编写了采用阻尼最小二乘法的全光谱拟合计算程序,通过对实验光谱数据的拟合处理后可以直接得到单层膜或双层膜的光学厚度。将印迹纳米微球与聚苯乙烯（PS）甲苯溶液混合,旋涂到载玻片及硅片上制备氯霉素（CAP）印迹膜作为RIfS检测系统的敏感介质层,建立了不同基底的印迹膜光学厚度变化与CAP样品浓度之间的标准曲线,检出限分别为0.229 1 mmol/L、0.185 2 mmol/L。在此基础上,对加标实际样品(牛奶)中CAP进行固相萃取,萃取液稀释后结合标准曲线进行定量,回收率为91%,所得结果与高效液相色谱（HPLC）测定结果相符,显示了印迹敏感膜结合RIfS光谱在传感器中应用的可行性。     

Viscoelastic dynamics of confined polymer melts

The frequency-dependent shear response of an ultrathin polymer melt (polyphenylmethylsiloxane) confined between adsorbing surfaces (parallel plates of mica) is described. The sinusoidal deformations were sufficiently small to give linear response, implying that measurement did not perturb the film structure. A remarkable transition was observed with decreasing thickness. When the film thickness was less than five to six times the unperturbed radius of gyration, there emerged a strong rubber-like elasticity that was not characteristic of the bulk samples. This result indicates enhanced entanglement interactions in thin polymer films and offers a mechanism to explain the slow mobility of polymers at surfaces.     

Phase-separated composite films for liquid crystal displays

A method of preparing liquid crystal devices by phase separation of liquid crystal from its solution in a prepolymer, which results in adjacent layers of liquid crystal and polymer, is described. Liquid crystals in these phase-separated composite films exhibit electro-optical properties not observed in devices prepared by conventional methods, polymer dispersion, or polymer-stabilization methods. Devices incorporating ferroelectric liquid crystals have gray scale and switch 100 times faster at low fields than conventional surface-stabilized devices. This method makes it possible to prepare devices with liquid crystal film thickness comparable to optical wavelengths.     

Polymer gate dielectric surface viscoelasticity modulates pentacene transistor performance

Nanoscopically confined polymer films are known to exhibit substantially depressed glass transition temperatures (Lg's) as compared to the corresponding bulk materials. We report here that pentacene thin films grown on polymer gate dielectrics at temperatures well below their bulk Tg's exhibit distinctive and abrupt morphological and microstructural transitions and thin-film transistor (TFT) performance discontinuities at well-defined growth temperatures. The changes reflect the higher chain mobility of the dielectric in its rubbery state and are independent of dielectric film thickness. Optimization of organic TFT performance must recognize this fundamental buried interface viscoelasticity effect, which is detectable in the current-voltage response.     

Self-assembly of ordered microporous materials from rod-coil block copolymers

Rod-coil diblock copolymers in a selective solvent for the coil-like polymer self-organize into hollow spherical micelles having diameters of a few micrometers. Long-range, close-packed self-ordering of the micelles produced highly iridescent periodic microporous materials. Solution-cast micellar films consisted of multilayers of hexagonally ordered arrays of spherical holes whose diameter, periodicity, and wall thickness depended on copolymer molecular weight and composition. Addition of fullerenes into the copolymer solutions also regulated the microstructure and optical properties of the microporous films. These results demonstrate the potential of hierarchical self-assembly of macromolecular components for engineering complex two- and three-dimensional periodic and functional mesostructures.     

Laser ablation and the production of polymer films

The formation of high-quality thin films of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is important in many applications ranging from material reinforcement to molecular electronics. Laser ablation, a technique widely used to deposit a variety of inorganic materials, can also be used as a simple and highly versatile method for forming thin polymer films. The data presented show that PTFE films can be produced on various supports by the evaporation of a solid PTFE target with a pulsed ultraviolet laser. The composition of the ablation plume suggests that PTFE ablation and subsequent film formation occur by way of a laser-induced pyrolitic decomposition with subsequent repolymerization. The polymer films produced by this method are composed of amorphous and highly crystalline regions, the latter being predominantly in a chain-folded configuration with the molecular axis aligned parallel to the substrate surface.     

Ferroelectricity in ultrathin perovskite films

Understanding the suppression of ferroelectricity in perovskite thin films is a fundamental issue that has remained unresolved for decades. We report a synchrotron x-ray study of lead titanate as a function of temperature and film thickness for films as thin as a single unit cell. At room temperature, the ferroelectric phase is stable for thicknesses down to 3 unit cells (1.2 nanometers). Our results imply that no thickness limit is imposed on practical devices by an intrinsic ferroelectric size effect.     

In situ interfacial mass detection with piezoelectric transducers

The converse piezoelectric effect, in which an electric field applied across a piezoelectric material induces a stress in that material, has spurred many recent developments in mass measurement techniques. These methods commonly rely on the changes in the vibrational resonant frequency of piezoelectric quartz oscillators that result from changes in mass on the surface of the oscillator. The dependence of frequency on mass has been exploited extensively for mass measurements in vacuum or gas phase, for example, thickness monitors for thin-film preparation and sensors for chemical agents. Advances in piezoelectric methodology in the last decade now allow dynamic measurements of minute mass changes (< 10(-9) grams per square centimeter) at surfaces, thin films, and electrode interfaces in liquid media as well. Mass measurements associated with a diverse collection of interfacial processes can be readily performed, including chemical and biological sensors, reactions catalyzed by enzymes immobilized on surfaces, electron transfer at and ion exchange in thin polymer films, and doping reactions of conducting polymers.     

温室条件下不同新型地膜回收性能研究

为探究适宜回收的地膜厚度,选用2种不同加工工艺的新型银黑双面地膜,厚度分别为0.010、0.015和0.025mm,与符合国家标准要求的常用黑色地膜作对照,在温室条件下开展对比试验,用电子拉力试验机测试不同覆盖期地膜的力学性能,并结合含杂率、拾净率等指标综合评价地膜的回收性能。结果表明：在力学性能方面,随着地膜厚度增加,地膜断裂伸长率和最大拉伸负荷逐渐增大,厚度0.015mm以上的地膜其力学性能保留率均在70%以上,因此,回收时仍有较好的力学性能;在含杂率方面,厚度0.015和0.025 mm的地膜,含杂率均低于80%,符合企业回收再利用的需求,可以一定程度上降低再利用处理成本;在拾净率方面,上述2种厚度的地膜表现良好,拾净率均在95%以上,有效降低了当年覆盖地膜的残留量。本研究进一步构建了地膜综合回收效果评价方法,并对地膜回收效果进行评价,结果表明在使用时长超过对照地膜123d的情况下,这2种新型试验地膜总评价分值仍高于对照组60%以上,表现出良好的回收特性,且厚度越大,综合评分越高。综上,新型地膜各方面力学性能均有所提高,更适合长季节栽培;厚度0.015mm以上的地膜综合回收效果更...     

地膜厚度对作物产量与土壤环境的影响

农用地膜(以下简称地膜)已成为我国干旱、冷凉地区土壤增温、保墒和作物增产的重要措施。为摸清我国地膜厚度应用现状,研究地膜厚度对作物产量和土壤环境的影响,2011年,在全国范围内针对棉花、玉米、马铃薯、花生等主要覆膜作物分别布置172、99、30、58个调查点,采用问卷调查的方法对我国地膜厚度应用现状进行系统调查。根据调查结果,2011—2013年,在新疆、甘肃、内蒙古、山东4省分别针对以上4种作物,设置不同地膜厚度处理,系统分析了地膜厚度对土壤温度和含水量、作物产量、经济效益以及地膜残留强度等的影响。研究结果表明,我国主要覆膜作物现用地膜厚度较薄,96.7%的地膜厚度集中在0.004~0.008 mm之间。增加地膜厚度能够提高土壤温度和含水量,但对不同作物的产量影响不同;随着地膜厚度增加(0.004~0.012 mm),棉花和玉米产量不断增加,而马铃薯和花生产量先增加后减少;地膜厚度对作物经济效益有一定影响,但处理间无显著性差异(P0.05)。地膜厚度显著影响地膜残留强度(P0.05),除了马铃薯外,其余作物地膜残留强度和地膜厚度均呈显著负相关关系(P0.05)。综上所述,增加地膜厚度对于我国主要覆膜作物有一定的增产作用,但增产幅度有限,而在残膜回收的基础上增加地膜厚度能够显著降低地膜残留强度。为应对我国农田地膜残留问题,建议我国地膜厚度标准提高至0.010~0.012 mm较为适宜。     

Long-range order in electronic transport through disordered metal films

Ultracold atom magnetic field microscopy enables the probing of current flow patterns in planar structures with unprecedented sensitivity. In polycrystalline metal (gold) films, we observed long-range correlations forming organized patterns oriented at +/-45 degrees relative to the mean current flow, even at room temperature and at length scales larger than the diffusion length or the grain size by several orders of magnitude. The preference to form patterns at these angles is a direct consequence of universal scattering properties at defects. The observed amplitude of the current direction fluctuations scales inversely to that expected from the relative thickness variations, the grain size, and the defect concentration, all determined independently by standard methods. Ultracold atom magnetometry thus enables new insight into the interplay between disorder and transport.     

通心甘薯粉丝成形机的研制

为充分开发薯类资源,研制了一种适应于以甘薯淀粉为原料制作通心粉丝的加工机械,该机集挤压糊化、粉丝通心、冷凝老化等工序于一体,解决了通心薯粉成形困难、粘连等难题。生产试验结果表明：糊化温度、生产率、粉丝厚度等各项技术指标均能满足粉丝生产要求。     

Muscular thin films for building actuators and powering devices

We demonstrate the assembly of biohybrid materials from engineered tissues and synthetic polymer thin films. The constructs were built by culturing neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes on polydimethylsiloxane thin films micropatterned with extracellular matrix proteins to promote spatially ordered, two-dimensional myogenesis. The constructs, termed muscular thin films, adopted functional, three-dimensional conformations when released from a thermally sensitive polymer substrate and were designed to perform biomimetic tasks by varying tissue architecture, thin-film shape, and electrical-pacing protocol. These centimeter-scale constructs perform functions as diverse as gripping, pumping, walking, and swimming with fine spatial and temporal control and generating specific forces as high as 4 millinewtons per square millimeter.     

Observation of polymer conformation hysteresis in extensional flow

Highly extensible Escherichia coli DNA molecules in planar extensional flow were visualized in dilute solution by fluorescence microscopy. For a narrow range of flow strengths, the molecules were found in either a coiled or highly extended conformation, depending on the deformation history of the polymer. This conformation hysteresis persists for many polymer relaxation times and is due to conformation-dependent hydrodynamic forces. Polymer conformational free-energy landscapes were calculated from computer simulations and show two free-energy minima for flow strengths near the coil-stretch transition. Hysteresis cycles may directly influence bulk-solution stresses and the development of stress-strain relations for dilute polymer flows.     

西北地区马铃薯膜上覆土最佳土层厚度试验

马铃薯高垄膜上覆土自然顶膜出苗栽培技术为近年来推广的一项马铃薯栽培新技术,具有自然出苗率高、产量高、杂草少等优点,其中膜上覆土的最佳土层厚度是影响马铃薯自然顶膜出苗的关键因素之一。本试验设0、1、3、5、7 cm 5个覆土厚度处理,结果表明： 3cm、5cm两个处理为最佳覆土厚度,3cm、5 cm两个处理采用的覆土厚度更有利于顶膜出苗,自然顶膜出苗率分别达到95.2%、98%,出苗整齐度分别为91.7%、91.4%,较对照产量分别增加了28.83%、27.72%,商品率分别提高了47.77%、49.64%,膜下杂草分别减少了44.74%、84.21%。同时,地膜回收也更为彻底。     

Photoinduced electron transfer from a conducting polymer to buckminsterfullerene

Evidence for photoinduced electron transfer from the excited state of a conducting polymer onto buckminsterfullerene, C(60), is reported. After photo-excitation of the conjugated polymer with light of energy greater than the pi-pi* gap, an electron transfer to the C(60) molecule is initiated. Photoinduced optical absorption studies demonstrate a different excitation spectrum for the composite as compared to the separate components, consistent with photo-excited charge transfer. A photoinduced electron spin resonance signal exhibits signatures of both the conducting polymer cation and the C(60) anion. Because the photoluminescence in the conducting polymer is quenched by interaction with C(60), the data imply that charge transfer from the excited state occurs on a picosecond time scale. The charge-separated state in composite films is metastable at low temperatures.