TY - JOUR A1 - Geiger, Christina A1 - Reitenbach, Julija A1 - Henschel, Cristiane A1 - Kreuzer, Lucas A1 - Widmann, Tobias A1 - Wang, Peixi A1 - Mangiapia, Gaetano A1 - Moulin, Jean-François A1 - Papadakis, Christine M. A1 - Laschewsky, André A1 - Müller-Buschbaum, Peter T1 - Ternary nanoswitches realized with multiresponsive PMMA-b-PNIPMAM films in mixed water/acetone vapor atmospheres JF - Advanced engineering materials N2 - To systematically add functionality to nanoscale polymer switches, an understanding of their responsive behavior is crucial. Herein, solvent vapor stimuli are applied to thin films of a diblock copolymer consisting of a short poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) block and a long poly(N-isopropylmethacrylamide) (PNIPMAM) block for realizing ternary nanoswitches. Three significantly distinct film states are successfully implemented by the combination of amphiphilicity and co-nonsolvency effect. The exposure of the thin films to nitrogen, pure water vapor, and mixed water/acetone (90 vol%/10 vol%) vapor switches the films from a dried to a hydrated (solvated and swollen) and a water/acetone-exchanged (solvated and contracted) equilibrium state. These three states have distinctly different film thicknesses and solvent contents, which act as switch positions "off," "on," and "standby." For understanding the switching process, time-of-flight neutron reflectometry (ToF-NR) and spectral reflectance (SR) studies of the swelling and dehydration process are complemented by information on the local solvation of functional groups probed with Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. An accelerated responsive behavior beyond a minimum hydration/solvation level is attributed to the fast build-up and depletion of the hydration shell of PNIPMAM, caused by its hydrophobic moieties promoting a cooperative hydration character. KW - co-nonsolvency KW - diblock copolymers KW - nanoswitches KW - neutron reflectometry KW - thin films Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202100191 SN - 1438-1656 SN - 1527-2648 VL - 23 IS - 11 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fudickar, Werner A1 - Linker, Torsten T1 - Imaging by sensitized oxygenations of photochromic anthracene films BT - Examination of effects that improve performance and reversibility JF - Chemistry - a European journal N2 - The aliphatic anthracene compound 1 and the oligomeric anthracene 2 were synthesized. Thin films of 1 and 2 mixed with the sensitizers tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) and methylene blue (MB) were irradiated with visible light in air. Upon formation of singlet oxygen, the anthracene units were converted quantitatively to the corresponding endoperoxides. Heating of the irradiated samples afforded the parent anthracenes with high yields. Here, we demonstrate that the kinetics and reversibility of this reaction strongly depend on the microenvironment of the anthracene groups in the two compounds. The photooxidation of thin films of I is accompanied by interesting changes in the morphology of the film and allows the first application of 1 as a nondestructive negative-tone photo-resist for lithography and as an oxidizing ink. The morphology of 2 remained unchanged after photooxidation as a result of the stabilizing oligomer backbone. This stabilizing effect significantly improves the photochromic performance of 2. The reversibility of the photooxidation is very high (> 90%) for oligomeric films of 2 after several cycles of irradiation and beating. Decomposition of the anthracene and a loss of the activity of the sensitizer diminish slightly the performance of the monomeric species. KW - anthracenes KW - lithography KW - photochromism KW - singlet oxygen KW - thin films Y1 - 2006 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.200600387 SN - 0947-6539 VL - 12 SP - 9276 EP - 9283 PB - WILEY‐VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wuennemann, Patrick A1 - Noyong, Michael A1 - Kreuels, Klaus A1 - Bruex, Roland A1 - Gordiichuk, Pavlo A1 - van Rijn, Patrick A1 - Plamper, Felix A. A1 - Simon, Ulrich A1 - Böker, Alexander T1 - Microstructured Hydrogel Templates for the Formation of Conductive Gold Nanowire Arrays JF - Macromolecular rapid communications N2 - Microstructured hydrogel allows for a new template-guided method to obtain conductive nanowire arrays on a large scale. To generate the template, an imprinting process is used in order to synthesize the hydrogel directly into the grooves of wrinkled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The resulting poly(N-vinylimidazole)-based hydrogel is defined by the PDMS stamp in pattern and size. Subsequently, tetrachloroaurate(III) ions from aqueous solution are coordinated within the humps of the N-vinylimidazole-containing polymer template and reduced by air plasma. After reduction and development of the gold, to achieve conductive wires, the extension perpendicular to the long axis (width) of the gold strings is considerably reduced compared to the dimension of the parental hydrogel wrinkles (from approximate to 1 mu m down to 200-300 nm). At the same time, the wire-to-wire distance and the overall length of the wires is preserved. The PDMS templates and hydrogel structures are analyzed with scanning force microscopy (SFM) and the gold structures via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The conductivity measurements of the gold nanowires are performed in situ in the SEM, showing highly conductive gold leads. Hence, this method can be regarded as a facile nonlithographic top-down approach from micrometer-sized structures to nanometer-sized features. KW - 1D structures KW - Au nanoarrays KW - microgel KW - nanoimprint KW - lithography KW - thin films Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.201600287 SN - 1022-1336 SN - 1521-3927 VL - 37 SP - 1446 EP - 1452 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - THES A1 - Cheng, Xiao T1 - Controlled solvent vapor annealing of block copolymer films T1 - Kontrolliertes Lösungsmitteldampfglühen von Blockcopolymerfilmen N2 - This project was focused on exploring the phase behavior of poly(styrene)187000-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine)203000 (SV390) with high molecular weight (390 kg/mol) in thin films, in which the self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) was realized via thermo-solvent annealing. The advanced processing technique of solvent vapor treatment provides controlled and stable conditions. In Chapter 3, the factors to influence the annealing process and the swelling behavior of homopolymers are presented and discussed. The swelling behavior of BCP in films is controlled by the temperature of the vapor and of the substrate, on one hand, and variation of the saturation of the solvent vapor atmosphere (different solvents), on the other hand. Additional factors like the geometry and material of the chamber, the type of flow inside the chamber etc. also influence the reproducibility and stability of the processing. The slightly selective solvent vapor of chloroform gives 10% more swelling of P2VP than PS in films with thickness of ~40 nm. The tunable morphology in ultrathin films of high molecular weight BCP (SV390) was investigated in Chapter 4. First, the swelling behavior can be precisely tuned by temperature and/or vapor flow separately, which provided information for exploring the multiple-parameter-influenced segmental chain mobility of polymer films. The equilibrium state of SV390 in thin films influenced by temperature was realized at various temperatures with the same degree of swelling. Various methods including characterization with SFM, metallization and RIE were used to identify the morphology of films as porous half-layer with PS dots and P2VP matrix. The kinetic investigations demonstrate that on substrates with either weak or strong interaction the original morphology of the BCP with high molecular weight is changed very fast within 5 min, and the further annealing serves for annihilation of defects. The morphological development of symmetric BCP in films with thickness increasing from half-layer to one-layer influenced by confinement factors of gradient film thicknesses and various surface properties of substrates was studied in Chapter 5. SV390 and SV99 films show bulk lamella-forming morphology after slightly selective solvent vapor (chloroform) treatment. SV99 films show cylinder-forming morphology under strongly selective solvent vapor (toluene) treatment since the asymmetric structure (caused by toluene uptake in PS blocks only) of SV99 block copolymer during annealing. Both kinds of morphology (lamella and cylinder) are influenced by the film thickness. The annealed morphology of SV390 and SV99 influenced by the combination of confined film and substrate property is similar to the morphology on flat silicon wafers. In this chapter the gradients in the film thickness and surface properties of the substrates with regard to their influence on the morphological development in thin BCP films are presented. Directed self-assembly (graphoepitaxy) of this SV390 was also investigated to compare with systematically reported SV99. In Chapter 6 an approach to induced oriented microphase separation in thick block copolymer films via treatment with the oriented vapor flow using mini-extruder is envisaged to be an alternative to existing methodologies, e.g. via non-solvent-induced phase separation. The preliminary tests performed in this study confirm potential perspective of this method, which alters the structure through the bulk of the film (as revealed by SAXS measurements), but more detailed studies have to be conducted in order to optimize the preparation. N2 - Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde das Phasenverhalten von Poly(styrol)_187000 -block-poly(2-Vinylpyridin)_203000 (SV^390 ) hohen Molekulargewichts (390 kg/mol) in dünnen Filmen untersucht, in denen die Selbstassemblierung der Block-Copolymere durch Lösungsmitteltempern erreicht wurde. Das hochentwickelte Verfahren der Behandlung mit Lösungsmitteldampf bietet kontrollierte und stabile Bedingungen. In *Kapitel 3* werden die Faktoren diskutiert, die den Prozess des Temperns und das Schwellverhalten der dünnen Block-Copolymer Filme beeinflussen. Das Schwellverhalten von Block-Copolymeren in Filmen wird einerseits durch die Temperaturen des Lösungsmitteldampfes und des Substrates sowie andererseits dem Sättigungs-Dampfdruck kontrolliert. Zusätzlich beeinflussen auch Faktoren wie die Geometrie und das Material der Kammer sowie die Art der Strömung in der Kammer die Reproduzierbarkeit und Stabilität der Messungen. Der geringfügig selektive Lösungsmitteldampf von Chloroform führt zu 10% stärkerem Schwellen des P2VP-Blocks im Vergleich zu PS in Filmen mit einer Dicke von ca. 40 nm. Die variable Morphologie ultradünner Filme eines Block-Copolymers hohen Molekulargewichts (SV^390 ) wurde in *Kapitel 4* untersucht. Das Schwellverhalten kann durch die Temperatur und den Dampffluss unabhängig voneinander präzise beeinflusst werden. Die Umgebungstemperatur stellt einen limitierenden Faktor für den Bereich der Annealing-Temperatur aufgrund der möglichen Kondensation des Lösungsmitteldampfes dar. Mehrere Methoden, wie zum Beispiel die Charakterisierung mit Rasterkraftmikroskopie, Metallisierung und reaktives Ionenätzen, wurden verwendet, um die Morphologie der Filme als perforierte Lamellen mit PS-Kugeln und P2VP-Matrix zu bestimmen. Eine Analyse der Kinetik der Strukturbildung zeigt, dass sich die ursprüngliche Morphologie von Block-Copolymeren hohen Molekulargewichts sowohl auf Substraten mit schwacher als auch starker Wechselwirkung innerhalb von 5 min ändert und das weitere Tempern zum Ausheilen von Defekten führt. Die morphologische Veränderung von symmetrischen Block-Copolymeren bei Filmdicken zwischen einer halben Domänendicke und einer ganzen Domänendicke wurde in *Kapitel 5* in Abhängigkeit von Gradienten der Filmdicke und verschiedenen Oberflächeneigenschaften der Substrate untersucht. SV^390 und SV^99 Filme zeigen eine lamellare Bulk-Morphologie nach Behandlung mit geringfügig selektivem Lösungsmitteldampf (Chloroform). SV^99 Filme bilden eine zylindrische Morphologie unter Behandlung mit stark selektivem Lösungsmitteldampf (Toluol) aus, weil das SV^99 Block-Copolymer während des Temperns eine asymmetrische Struktur aufweist (Toluol-Aufnahme ausschließlich im Polystyrol-Block). Beide Morphologien (Lamellen und Zylinder) werden durch die Filmdicke beeinflusst. Die Morphologie von SV^390 und SV^99 nach Tempern ist abhängig von der Filmdicke und den Substrat-Eigenschaften und ähnlich der Morphologie auf flachen Silicium-Wafern. In *Kapitel 6* wird ein Ansatz zur induzierten orientierten Mikrophasenseparation in dicken Block-Copolymer Filmen durch Behandlung mit orientiertem Dampffluss unter Verwendung eines Miniextruders vorgestellt, der als Alternative zu existierenden Verfahren wie Nichtlösungsmittel-induzierter Phasenseparation dienen könnte. Die ersten im Rahmen dieser Arbeit durchgeführten Untersuchungen zeigen das Potential der Methode auf, welche die Struktur im gesamten Volumen des Films durchgehend beeinflusst (durch SAXS-Messungen gezeigt). Jedoch sind detailliertere Studien notwendig, um die Prozedur zu optimieren. KW - block copolymer KW - thin films KW - solvo-thermal annealing KW - Block-copolymer KW - dünne Filme KW - Lösungsmittel-thermisches Tempern Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-424179 ER -