Liao, Tao; Zhao, Xintong; Yang, Xiao; Coates, Phil; Whiteside, Ben; Jiang, Zhiyong; Men, Yongfeng
Structural evolution of flow-oriented high density polyethylene upon heating: In situ SAXS and WAXD studies
The structural evolution of micro-injection molded high density polyethylene (HDPE) at the molecular and lamellar levels was investigated as a function of temperature during heating process using wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. The molded sample exhibits a peculiar multilayer structure of skin and…
Relation Between Charge Transport and the Number of Interconnected Lamellar Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) Crystals
Wang, Binghua; Chen, Jingbo; Shen, Changyu; Reiter, Günter; Zhang, Bin
We have investigated the lateral charge transport in a multilamellar network of crystalline structures of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) embedded in a matrix of small crystallites and amorphous polymers resulting from crystallization at temperatures close to the melting point. Removing the matrix by an appropriate washing process allowed us to observe a…
Comprehensive Investigation and Analysis of Bulk-Heterojunction Microstructure of High-Performance PCE11:PCBM Solar Cells
Zhang, Chaohong; Heumueller, Thomas; Gruber, Wolfgang; Almora, Osbel; Du, Xiaoyan; Ying, Lei; Chen, Junwu; Unruh, Tobias; Cao, Yong; Li, Ning; Brabec, Christoph J.
Worldwide research efforts have been devoted to organic photovoltaics in the hope of a large-scale commercial application in the near future. To meet the industrial production requirements, organic photovoltaics that can reach power conversion efficiency (PCE) of over 10% along with promising operational device stability are of utmost interest. In…
Protic Ionic Liquids Based on the Alkyl-Imidazolium Cation: Effect of the Alkyl Chain Length on Structure and Dynamics
Abdurrokhman, Iqbaal; Elamin, Khalid; Danyliv, Olesia; Hasani, Mohammad; Swenson, Jan; Martinelli, Anna
Protic ionic liquids are known to form extended hydrogen-bonded networks that can lead to properties different from those encountered in the aprotic analogous liquids, in particular with respect to the structure and transport behavior. In this context, the present paper focuses on a wide series of 1-alkyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ionic liquids,…
Nano-modified HDPE/PA6 microfibrillar composites: Effect of aminated graphite platelets coupling
Kelnar, Ivan; Bal, Ümitcan; Zhigunov, Alexander; Kaprálková, Ludmila; Fortelný, Ivan; Krej?íková, Sabina; Kredatusová, Jana; Dybal, Ji?í; Janata, Miroslav; Nofar, Mohammadreza
Modification of microfibrillar composites (MFCs) by nanofillers shows important effects of its localization on performance. This work deals with control of migration/localization of amine-modified graphite nanoplatelets (GNPAs) in the HDPE/PA6 system through their in situ coupling. GNPA/HDPE linking also leads to complex morphology of PA6 fibers. Although such control of…
Liquid Crystal Elastomer Waveguide Actuators
Kuenstler, Alexa S.; Kim, Hyunki; Hayward, Ryan C.
While most photomechanical materials developed to date have relied on free-space illumination to drive actuation, this strategy fails when direct line-of-site access is precluded. In this study, waveguided light is harnessed by liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) nanocomposites to drive actuation. Using photo-chemical reduction of gold salts to plasmonic nanoparticles, prescription…
Thermally Conductive and Electrically Insulating PVP/Boron Nitride Composite Films for Heat Spreader
Liu, Y.; Wang, N.; Ye, L.; Zehri, A.; Nylander, A.; Nkansah, A.; Lu, H.; Liu, J.
Thermally conductive materials with electrically insulating properties have been extensively investigated for thermal management of electronic devices. The combined properties of high thermal conductivity, structural stability, corrosion resistance and electric resistivity make hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) a promising candidate for this purpose. Theoretical studies have revealed that h-BN has a
Improving Processing, Crystallization, and Performance of Poly-l-lactide with an Amide-Based Organic Compound as Both Plasticizer and Nucleating Agent
Leoné, Nils; Roy, Manta; Saidi, Sarah; de Kort, Gijs; Hermida-Merino, Daniel; Wilsens, Carolus H. R. M.
In this work, we report on a novel hydrogen-bonding compound, N,N?-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalamide (BHET), and its potential as additive in poly-l-lactide (PLA). Although the hydroxyl groups of BHET can participate in transesterification with the PLA matrix, we demonstrate through gel permeation chromatography that extrusion at 200 °C does not result in a…
Morphological Evolution of Poly(solketal methacrylate)-block-polystyrene Copolymers in Thin Films
Yu, Duk Man; Smith, Darren M.; Kim, Hyeyoung; Mapas, Jose Kenneth D.; Rzayev, Javid; Russell, Thomas P.
The morphological evolution of the lamellar microdomains in the thin films of symmetric poly(solketal methacrylate-b-styrene) (PSM-b-PS) copolymers that can be converted into poly(glycerol monomethacrylate-b-styrene) (PGM-b-PS) copolymers through acid hydrolysis reaction was investigated. This simple chemical transformation was performed in the solid state using trifluoroacetic acid vapor,
Transparent, Lightweight, and High Strength Polyethylene Films by a Scalable Continuous Extrusion and Solid-State Drawing Process
Lin, Yunyin; Tu, Wei; Verpaalen, Rob C. P.; Zhang, Han; Bastiaansen, Cees W. M.; Peijs, Ton
The continuous production of transparent high strength ultra-drawn high-density polyethylene films or tapes is explored using a cast film extrusion and solid-state drawing line. Two methodologies are explored to achieve such high strength transparent polyethylene films; i) the use of suitable additives like 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-ditertpentylphenol (BZT) and ii) solid-state drawing at…