One-step metal electroplating and patterning on a plastic substrate using an electrically-conductive layer of few-layer graphene

Few-layer graphene (FLG) was investigated as an electrically-conductive interleaf layer for one-step electroplating and patterning of metal on nonconductive polymer substrates without using multiple and toxic pretreatment processes in traditional electroplating. An individual FLG (5–10 nm of thickness with 6.4% of oxygen content) was obtained by expanding graphite with microwave followed by exfoliating the expanded graphite with sonication in N-methyl-pyrrolidone. Stacking FLG in the in-plane direction, a robust FLG film was obtained by the vacuum-assisted filtering and drying methods, and transferred to a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate via an intermediate transfer to the water surface. The sheet resistance of the FLG film on the PET substrate was 0.9 kΩ/sq with a thickness of 80 nm and the root-mean-square roughness of 29 nm. In the electroplating of nickel on the FLG film, hemisphere-shape metal seeds appeared in the early stage of electroplating and they subsequently grew up to 200–480 nm, which became connected to form a continuous nickel layer. The thickness of the continuous nickel layer increased linearly with electroplating time. The developed electroplating method demonstrated its capability of selective patterning on nonconductive substrates using a simple masking technique.     

Electrohydrodynamic instabilities of polymer thin films: Filler effect

The influence of various nanoparticles with different dimension, density, dielectric constant, and surface property on electrohydrodynamic (EHD) instabilities of polymer/nanoparticle nanocomposite thin films was examined as a function of nanoparticle concentration. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of polystyrene (PS)/nanoparticles (NPs) thin films demonstrated that all the nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in polymer matrix and the homogeneous dispersions of nanoparticles were not affected by thermal annealing above glass transition temperature. Optical microscopy (OM) observations indicated that thin films of polystyrene containing silica (SiO₂), gold (Au), cadmium selenide (CdSe), and titania (TiO₂) nanoparticles showed electrohydrodynamic instability patterns similar to those seen in pure polystyrene, up to 3 vol% nanoparticles. The presence of nanoparticles changed the dielectric constant of the thin films, which led to systematic variations in the wavelengths of the surface instabilities, which were consistent with calculated values. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that migration or aggregation of the nanoparticles occurred only for silica contrary to other nanoparticles. This work points to a simple route to reduce the scale of final well-ordered columnar structures.     

Effects of oxyfluorination on a multi-walled carbon nanotube electrode for a high-performance glucose sensor

A glucose sensor electrode was prepared with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) because of its effect on surface modification through oxyfluorination. The oxyfluorination of MWNTs was carried out with F₂:O₂ ratios of 7:3, 5:5 and 3:7, which are labeled F7O3-MWNT, F5O5-MWNT, and F3O7-MWNT, based on the oxyfluorination conditions. The hydrophilic functional groups were introduced effectively on the hydrophobic carbon surface. In addition, the amorphous area of the MWNTs was affected by oxyfluorination. The reactivity of the glucose sensor was affected by the oxyfluorination treatment and the existence of amorphous on MWNTs. The optimum O/F percentage was approximately 50%. Therefore, the oxyfluorination conditions are important with amorphous MWNTs. The sensitivity was improved based on the effects of improved interface affinity between the enzyme and the carbon electrode. In addition, the presence of an amorphous area on MWNTs seems to be beneficial for efficient glucose oxidase immobilization, which results in high-performance glucose sensing.     

Graphene transfer: key for applications

The first micrometer-sized graphene flakes extracted from graphite demonstrated outstanding electrical, mechanical and chemical properties, but they were too small for practical applications. However, the recent advances in graphene synthesis and transfer techniques have enabled various macroscopic applications such as transparent electrodes for touch screens and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and thin-film transistors for flexible electronics in particular. With such exciting potential, a great deal of effort has been put towards producing larger size graphene in the hopes of industrializing graphene production. Little less than a decade after the first discovery, graphene now can be synthesized up to 30 inches in its diagonal size using chemical vapour deposition methods. In making this possible, it was not only the advances in the synthesis techniques but also the transfer methods that deliver graphene onto target substrates without significant mechanical damage. In this article, the recent advancements in transferring graphene to arbitrary substrates will be extensively reviewed. The methods are categorized into mechanical exfoliation, polymer-assisted transfer, continuous transfer by roll-to-roll process, and transfer-free techniques including direct synthesis on insulating substrates.     

Advanced underfill for high thermal reliability

The key to the success of flip‐chip technology lies in the availability of sucessful underfill materials. However, the reliability of flip‐chip technology using current underfill materials is generally found to be lower than that of conventional wire‐bond connection packaging materials such as epoxy molding compound (EMC) because of the high coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) and moisture absorption of cured underfill material. In this study desbimide (DBMI), which has a low melting point (about 80°C), was used in the underfill materials as a cohardener. As a result, DBMI‐added underfill can show excellent thermal reliability, which is due to the superior properties of the CTE, the elastic modulus, and water resistance. When the properties of a 2 wt % DBMI‐added underfill were compared with those of a typical underfill (epoxy/anhydride), the CTE value was reduced to less than one‐half at the solder reflow temperature (about 200°C), the elastic modulus was reduced to less than one‐half in the temperature region below the glass‐transition temperature, and the water resistance was improved twofold. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2617–2624, 2002     

Photocatalytic Water Splitting over La2Ti2O7 Synthesized by the Polymerizable Complex Method

Highly donor-doped (110) layered perovskite materials, La₂Ti₂O₇, with high surface areas were synthesized by the polymerizable complex (PC) method. Relative to La₂Ti₂O₇ prepared by the solid state reaction (SSR) method, PC catalysts showed higher surface areas, crystallization at lower temperatures, higher phase purity, more uniform morphology and better-distributed nickel on the outer surface of La₂Ti₂O₇. All these factors led to higher photocatalytic activity for overall water splitting under UV irradiation. The quantum yield of the reaction over La₂Ti₂O₇ prepared by the PC method was as high as 27%, which was about twofold greater than that over La₂Ti₂O₇ prepared by the SSR method.     

Ladder-Type Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Poly (ethylene glycol)-Polyurethane Supramolecular Network for Gel Polymer Electrolyte

A ladder-type poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly (ethylene glycol)-polyurethane (PEDOT-PEG-PU) supramolecular network was successfully synthesized using graft copolymerization of hydroxymethyl-EDOT with isocyanate-terminated PEG-PU prepolymer. PEDOT functionalized as the frame for a ladder-type supramolecular structure and PEG-PU as the rung. The successful formation of supramolecular network was confirmed by analyzing the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A series of PEDOT-PEG-PU gel polymer electrolyte by linking the LiClO₄ were prepared as a function of [O/Li⁺] ratios. The pH effect of their electrical capacitances was investigated using cyclic voltammetry. Ionic conductivities of different PEDOT-PEG-PU/Li⁺ complexes at a fixed pH were also evaluated through impedance analysis.     

Phase‐separation prevention and performance improvement of poly(vinyl acetate)/TEOS hybrid using modified sol‐gel process

The formation of covalent bonds between silanols in copolymer and those in silica prevents organic–inorganic phase separation. Two series of hybrid composite materials, poly(vinyl acetate‐co‐vinyl trimethoxysilane)/TEOS and poly[vinyl acetate‐co‐3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate]/TEOS, were fabricated using a modified sol‐gel process. The hybrids were transparent. Two kinds of silane coupling agents, vinyl trimethoxysilane (VTS) and 3‐(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (γ‐MPS), were used to prevent macrophase separation through formation of covalent bonds. Thermal analysis showed that γ‐MPS was more effective than VTS for the formation of covalent bonds. Enhancement of thermal stability of the hybrids was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. Photomicrographs of scanning electron microscopy and images of atomic force microscopy indicated that inorganic silica particles were homogeneously dispersed in less than 50 nm in organic matrix. The morphological properties of hybrids were strongly dependent on the organic–inorganic composition. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2310–2318, 2001     

The Potential of Adaptive Design in Animal Studies

Clinical trials are the backbone of medical research, and are often the last step in the development of new therapies for use in patients. Prior to human testing, however, preclinical studies using animal subjects are usually performed in order to provide initial data on the safety and effectiveness of prospective treatments. These studies can be costly and time consuming, and may also raise concerns about the ethical treatment of animals when potentially harmful procedures are involved. Adaptive design is a process by which the methods used in a study may be altered while it is being conducted in response to preliminary data or other new information. Adaptive design has been shown to be useful in reducing the time and costs associated with clinical trials, and may provide similar benefits in preclinical animal studies. The purpose of this review is to summarize various aspects of adaptive design and evaluate its potential for use in preclinical research.     

Three-Dimensional Measurement of Ice Crystals in Frozen Materials by Near-Infrared Imaging Spectroscopy

A novel technique was developed to recognize ice crystals in biological materials and to analyze their three-dimensional morphology using a Cryogenic Micro-Slicer Spectral Imaging System with a micro-slicer unit and a near-infrared spectral imaging unit. Consecutive cross-sections of a frozen sample were exposed by the multi-slicing operations with a minimum thickness of 1 µm, and their images were taken by the imaging unit. Spectroscopic analysis using a near-infrared spectrum meter showed an absorption peak at 1460 nm for pure water. Based on the observations of the absorption band of ice crystals in the wavelength range of 1450–1570 nm and its peak at 1495 nm, a commodity-type bandpass filter with a central wavelength of 1500 nm was adopted to identify ice crystals in near-infrared images. The absorption peak of water exhibited a tendency to move toward longer wavelengths with decreasing sample temperature from 25 °C to ?15 °C. The filtered images of ice crystals in frozen samples were darker than the other components at the peak wavelength of ice crystals. The three-dimensional reconstructed morphology of ice crystals revealed that they were formed along the direction of heat transfer while freezing. The proposed method provides a novel tool to investigate the effects of freezing conditions on the size, morphology and distribution of ice crystals.