Use of surface plasmon-coupled emission for enhancing light transmission through Top-Emitting Organic Light Emitting Diodes

In this paper, we perform surface plasmon-coupled emission studies on Rhodamine 6G molecules embedded in a corrugated structure of a thin film composed of fluorinated silica particles, and a binding medium. Our results show enhancements of photoluminescence due to surface corrugation. By varying the size of the fluorinated silica nanoparticles we were able to control the surface correlation length scale of the corrugated surface structure. It was found that the coupling efficiency of the directional light emission is strongly correlated to the surface morphology, particularly the surface correlation length, of the corrugated dielectric structure. This substantial enhancement of signal could potentially be utilized in Organic Light Emitting Diode devices to enhance the light emission and transmission through a thin silver layer which can also serve as the cathode in Top-Emitting Organic Light Emitting Diodes.     

Electrochemical surface plasmon excitation and emission light properties in poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin films

The attenuated total reflection (ATR) and emission light properties utilizing surface plasmon (SP) excitations were measured for the electrochemical change of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5diyl) (P3HT) thin films in-situ. The SP emission light could detect the SP excited by molecular luminescence of P3HT. The ATR and SP emission light properties were observed for the doped–dedoped states of P3HT thin film. The ATR and SP emission light properties were remarkably changed with the electrochemical doping and dedoping. The SP emission light also decreased by decrease of the molecular luminescence of P3HT by doping. For the dedoped-state P3HT thin film, SP emission light also increased by increase of the molecular luminescence. The SP emission light excited by molecular luminescence can be controlled by the control of doping–dedoping state.     

Solution deposition of nanometer scale silver films as an alternative to vapor deposition for plasmonic excitation

We report the attainment of surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) from highly uniform thin silver films, solution-deposited on glass substrates by a wet chemistry approach. The surface morphology of these films was characterized by atomic force microscopy. The SPCE emission enhancements, polarization and angularity obtained from solution-deposited silver on BK7 glass were comparable to that achieved from conventional SPCE slides prepared via vapor deposition. This facile, wet chemistry procedure for the deposition of SPCE films provides an inexpensive, low maintenance alternative to vapor deposition for SPCE substrate preparation. This would allow the fluorescence observation technique to become more readily available for high sensitivity, low cost applications.     

聚乙烯醇为基材的超滤膜研究进展

在详细介绍了热处理、接枝、交联、共混、杂化等PVA超滤膜制备方法的基础上,重点介绍了采用界面聚合、电纺丝等新方法制备改性PVA薄层复合超滤膜的研究进展;由于改性PVA薄层复合超滤膜优异的性能使它成为今后PVA超滤膜制备领域的一个发展方向.     

Red-green-blue laser emissions from dye-doped poly(vinyl alcohol) films

A microscope slide acting as a passive waveguide was coated by three separate poly(vinyl alcohol) films that were doped with Coumarin 460, Disodium Fluorescein, and Rhodamine 640 perchlorate. On collinear pumping by a nitrogen laser, these dyes furnished primary red-green-blue laser emissions that were collected and waveguided by the microscope slide but exited from both ends. Frosting the waveguide exit introduced light scattering at the glass-air interface and spatially overlaid the red-green-blue laser emissions that emerged as a uniform white-light beam.     

Elastic properties of thin poly(vinyl alcohol)-cellulose nanocrystal membranes

In spite of extensive studies on the preparation and characterization of nanocomposite materials, the correlation of their properties at the nanoscale with those in bulk is a relatively unexplored area. This is of great importance, especially for materials with potential biomedical applications, where surface properties are as important in determining their applicability as bulk characteristics. In this study, the nanomechanical characteristics of thin poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH)-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) membranes were studied using the nanoindentation module in an atomic force microscope (AFM) and the properties were compared with the macro-scale properties obtained by tensile tests. In general, the elastic properties measured by nanoindentation followed the same trend as macro-scale tensile tests except for the PVOH 85-PAA 0-CNC 15 sample. In comparison to the macro-scale elastic properties, the measured elastic moduli with AFM were higher. Macro-scale tensile test results indicated that, in the presence of PAA, incorporation of CNCs up to 20?wt% improved the elastic modulus of PVOH, but when no PAA was added, increasing the CNC content above 10?wt% resulted in their agglomeration and degradation in mechanical properties of PVOH. The discrepancy between macro-scale tensile tests and nanoindentation in the PVOH 85-PAA 0-CNC 15 sample was correlated to the high degree of inhomogeneity of CNC dispersion in the matrix. It was found that the composites reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals had smaller indentation imprints and the pile-up effect increased with the increase of cellulose nanocrystal content.     

Long-range surface plasmon polariton waveguides containing very thin spin-coated silver films

We fabricated very thin solid silver films with thicknesses below 50 nm using a spin coating method. An aqueous silver ionic complex solution was spin-coated and then thermally cured for a few minutes at a low temperature. The properties of the spin-coated silver films were compared to the properties of silver films deposited by thermal evaporation. The spin-coated thin silver films possessed silver crystallinity and a surface roughness of ~ 2.83 nm, while the thermally evaporated thin silver films also possessed silver crystallinity with a surface roughness of ~ 2.44 nm. Long-range surface plasmon polariton (LR-SPP) waveguides fabricated by both spin coating and thermal evaporation were also characterized and compared. The propagation losses of the 23 nm thick spin-coated and the 19 nm thick evaporated LR-SPP waveguides with strip widths of 7 μm were 3.6 and 4.2 dB/cm, respectively, and their coupling losses were 1.4 and 1.0 dB/2facets, respectively. The use of the spin coating method is a very cost effective solution because the films can be formed at low temperature in a short period of time without requiring a vacuum system. In addition, there are many potential applications of using spin-coated very thin solid silver films in LR-SPP waveguides and nano electrical circuit patterns.     

Synthesis of silver nanoparticles in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix in solution and thin films through laser irradiation

Here we communicate our experimental results on the synthesis of silver nanoparticles in solution and thin films using silver nitrate and poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) mixture at different concentrations and different laser irradiations. Detailed studies were carried out by varying pulse width, wavelength, exposure time, and energy of the laser. Formation of nanoparticles was confirmed through color change from transparent to yellow. Irradiated solutions and thin films at different concentrations showed plasmon peak in the absorption spectra. Formation of different sized nanoparticles at different energies with peak shift is observed. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) results confirmed the formation of nanoparticles with size of the particles varying from 2 to 200 nm. Formation of silver nanoparticles with hexagonal and different shapes were observed in particular with 355 nm laser irradiation. Influence of wavelength, pulse width, exposure time, and energy in the synthesis of silver nanoparticles is highlighted. Electron diffraction patten of a single nanoparticle in TEM showed polycrystallinity with cubic nature for the silver nanoparticles prepared. We also compared the linear and nonlinear absorption properties of the freshly prepared nanoparticles with nanoparticles solution left in a shelf for a long period of time.     

Resistance to nonspecific protein adsorption by poly(vinyl alcohol) thin films adsorbed to a poly(styrene) support matrix studied using surface plasmon resonance.

Thin films of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer were prepared on a flat, nonporous, poly(styrene) support matrix by adsorption from aqueous solution and were characterized in order to investigate the nonspecific adsorption of proteins to a chromatographically relevant surface. The integrity and surface coverage of the PVA thin films were established by surface analysis and atomic force microscopy imaging. The adsorption of the PVA polymers to the poly(styrene) substrate and the nonspecific adsorption of proteins to the PVA-coated surface were monitored using surface plasmon resonance. PVA was strongly bound to the poly(styrene) surface, but the surface density of the adsorbed PVA polymers was affected substantially by the concentration, molecular weight, and degree of hydrolysis of PVA polymers used. There was evidence of increasing degrees of unfolding of the PVA polymer onto the poly(styrene) surface as the concentration of the the PVA coating solution increased. Complete PVA coverage of the poly(styrene) surface was observed at PVA concentrations of 0.1 mg/mL or greater but with significant influence of both molecular weight and degree of hydrolysis of the PVA polymers. Resistance of the PVA-coated poly(styrene) surface to the nonspecific adsorption of human serum albumin (HSA) correlated with the degree of surface coverage of the PVA. The use of anti-HSA as a probe for adsorbed HSA suggested that HSA was displacing PVA from the poly(styrene) surface at the lower PVA surface coverage. A complete barrier to nonspecific protein adsorption was observed with a PVA coating solution concentration of greater than 0.1 mg/ mL with a degree of hydrolysis of <88%.     

Gold nanoparticles reinforced poly (vinyl alcohol) of self-standing optical films

A simple one-step process is developed to synthesize self-standing optical films of Au-doped polymer of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The visible color could be tuned precisely over a wide range from the violet to a yellowish with selective Au-contents from 0.1 to 5.0 wt%. The synthetic procedure involves a caloric Au3+ --> Au reaction in aqueous PVA at 60-90 degrees C temperatures followed by casting the sample (Au-nanocrystals (NCs) embedding in the PVA polymer molecules) as films or other shapes. Stable color persists of nanocolloids as well as films. The NCs are thin platelets of triangular, square, rectangular, or hexagonal shapes. There are very few pentagonal platelets and nanorods. As analyzed with microstructure, the NCs formation results in a structural anisotropy by the preferential adsorption of PVA on selective facets. An Au-content dependent emission occurs in the 400-650 nm regions, useful for possible optical data storage, nonlinear optical devices, and color pigments.     

Preparation of aligned Fe3O4@Ag-nanowire/poly(vinyl alcohol) nanocomposite films via a low magnetic field

Aligned Fe₃O₄@Ag-nanowire (Ag-NW)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanocomposite films are prepared via a magnetic field-assisted method under a low magnetic field (B < 0.1 T) induction. The effects of the mass ratio (MR) of Fe₃O₄ to Ag-NWs and the Ag-NW content are systematically studied on the composite electrical conductivity (EC). The preferential alignment of Ag-NWs brings about a significant increase in the EC of the oriented composite in the parallel direction along the magnetic field. The optimal MR is determined to be equal to 0.15 at which the random composite has a good EC meanwhile the oriented composite shows a good response to the applied magnetic field. The oriented composite with the 20 wt% Ag-NWs shows a high EC anisotropy of ca. 6.6 and a very high EC of 4500 S/cm via the external magnetic field. In addition, the introduction of Ag-NWs leads to an obvious improvement in the thermal stability of PVA composites.     

聚乙烯醇修饰的碳纳米管在缓冲溶液中的溶解过程

采用水溶性的聚乙烯醇修饰多壁碳纳米管表面,研究了聚乙烯醇修饰的碳纳米管在水浴摇床Tris-HCl缓冲溶液中的溶解过程.通过红外光谱,差示扫描量热仪,透射电镜及X光衍射的方法对聚乙烯醇修饰的碳纳米管在溶解过程中的显微结构变化进行了研究.结果表明:浸泡21d后,聚乙烯醇修饰的碳纳米管部分溶解于缓冲溶液,形成无定形碳碎片;但大部分碳纳米管没有溶解,仍然保持管状结构.揭示出聚乙烯醇修饰的碳纳米管的溶解过程为:碳-碳键在浸泡过程中发生断裂,碳纳米管的部分溶解产生了无定形碳碎片与残留纳米管层片,残留纳米管层片进一步溶解最终成为无定形碳.提出与讨论了聚乙烯醇修饰的碳纳米管在Tris-HCl缓冲溶液中可能的溶解机理是:修饰后的碳纳米管表面具有很多缺陷和断裂的碳键,在缓冲溶液中聚乙烯醇的溶解导致嫁接位置的碳管壁的碳原子的释放,最终导致其管状结构的破坏.     

Preparation of micropatterned poly(silsesquioxane) thin films using adamantylphenol molecules

Poly(methyl silsesquioxane) (PMSSQ) thin films with micropatterned surface structures have been prepared by use of adamantylphenol molecules as a photo-thermal sensitive moiety together with UV lithographic technique and mild heating process. Initially, PMSSQ films form positive patterns of micronscale due to the film densification triggered by photooxidation and photopolymerization of doped moieties within UV exposed region. With thermal treatment, negative patterns from these pre-patterned films are formed by the difference of polycondensation rates between non-exposed regions and irradiated areas without additional developing or etching steps. This structural transformation of PMSSQ thin films was investigated using Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy.     

Chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) films containing ZnO nanoparticles and plasticizers

In this study ZnO nanoparticles were prepared by the Pechini method from a polyester by reacting citric acid with ethylene glycol in which the metal ions are dissolved, and incorporated into blend films of chitosan (CS) and poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with different concentrations of polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate, Tween 80 (T80). These films were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling degree, degradation of films in Hank's solution and the mechanical properties. Besides these characterizations, the antibacterial activity of the films was tested, and the films containing ZnO nanoparticles showed antibacterial activity toward the bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus. The observed antibacterial activity in the composite films prepared in this work suggests that they may be used as hydrophilic wound and burn dressings.     

Ellipsometry study of poly(o-methoxyaniline) thin films

Spin-coated poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) thin films on various substrates were investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the 1.5–4.5 eV photon energy range. Spin-coating process parameters are reported (spin speed and concentration). Substrates with higher surface energy were found to increase polymer film thickness and decrease roughness. An optical model was developed using SE data along with complementary data from atomic force microscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy to obtain optical properties—refractive index n and extinction coefficient k for POMA. The model includes Lorentz oscillators for the POMA film and a Bruggeman effective medium approximation for roughness. In-plane film optical anisotropy was not observed, but a small out of plane anisotropy was detected for the polymer.     

Gel-drawn fibres of poly(vinyl alcohol)

Semi-crystalline gels of several samples of poly(vinyl alcohol) were made from solutions in which the polymer concentration varied from 2.0 to 15.0%. Entanglement density in the material was in this way reduced from the melt entanglement density. When gels were partially dried and drawn isothermally the maximum draw ratio increased with drawing temperature up to 11 to 14 at 140 to 180 C. A meltcast film could be drawn to 6.8 times at 140 C. Drawn material had a crystallinity of 55 to 80%, while that of isotropic material was 20 to 55%. Gels of lower initial concentration (lower entanglement density) could be drawn to greater extensions at a given draw temperature and had better mechanical properties. Young's modulus increased with draw ratio to values very close to those for polyethylene fibres drawn by the same amount. Young's modulus was independent of drawing temperature or degree of crystallinity, but on comparing drawn gels of the same draw ratio, crystallinity and crystalline orientation, those of lower entanglement density had a higher Young's modulus.     

Controlled formation of Ag/poly(methyl-methacrylate) thin films by RAFT technique for optical switcher

The functional group of sulfur was introduced into the PMMA terminus by the reversible addition-fragmentation transfer (RAFT) technique and the PMMA/Ag nanocomposite film was prepared by the in situ synthetic method. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of the material were further investigated by the Z-scan technique. The result shows that the χ⁽³⁾ nonlinearity of the material depend on the doped content of Ag nanoparticles and is obtained to be 6.22 × 10⁻⁹ esu at the content of 2.4 wt%. Furthermore, it is found that the material has the potential application on optical switcher at the content of 0.8 wt%.     

Biocompatibility of poly(vinyl alcohol)-hyaluronic acid and poly(vinyl alcohol)-gellan membranes crosslinked by glutaraldehyde vapors

Glutaraldehyde (GTA) solutions are commonly used to crosslink biomolecules and artificial polymers in order to reduce the degradation rate and to avoid the rapid dissolution in biological fluids. The toxicity of these materials is often due to the presence of GTA residuals unremoved by washing procedures. In this study membranes of PVA-hyaluronic acid and PVA-gellan with different composition have been obtained by solution casting technique and crosslinked by exposure to vapors of GTA in acid environment. The harmful effects of GTA residuals released from the membranes have been evaluated by the cytotoxicity and cytocompatibility in vitro tests, based on the cell culture method. The results showed that these materials have no toxic effects: they do not affect cell viability and proliferation, nor exert damages on mithocondrial and lysosomal functions. The poor adhesion of cells seeded directly onto membranes is due to the surface properties of these materials which are completely refractory at cell adhesion and proliferation. The use of GTA in vapor phase as crosslinking agent of natural and artificial polymer blends is demonstrated to be an efficacious procedure that avoids the presence of toxic residuals into materials.