Oriented Thin Films of Insoluble Polythiophene Prepared by the Friction Transfer Technique.

A thin film of unsubstituted polythiophene (PT), an insoluble conjugated polymer, with molecular chains uniaxially oriented in plane was prepared by the friction transfer method. The structure of highly oriented thin films of PT was investigated using grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The polarized UV-vis and IR spectra and GIXD measurements showed the PT molecular chains were well aligned in parallel to the friction direction.

A Small and High-Speed Driving Mechanism for 3D Shape Measurement in Monocular Endoscopy.

Three-dimensional (3D) shape acquisition has been widely introduced to enrich quantitative analysis with the combination of object shape and texture, for example, surface roughness evaluation in industry and gastrointestinal endoscopy in medicine. Shape from focus is a promising technique to measure substance surfaces in 3D space because no occlusion problem appears in principle, as does with stereo shape measurement, which is another commonly used option. We have been developing endoscopic shape measurement devices and shape reconstruction algorithms.

Mild oxidation-production of subnanometer-sized nanowindows of single wall carbon nanohorn.

The size control of nanowindows on the graphene walls is indispensable to develop innovative adsorption and separation technologies. As single wall carbon nanohorn (SWCNH) consists of graphene wall, the permeation of ions through the nanowindows can be evaluated with adsorption measurement. We regulated the nanowindow size by use of mild oxidation at 473-523 K for 20-70 h.

Organic Photovoltaic Devices Based on Oriented -Type Molecular Films Deposited on Oriented Polythiophene Films.

The molecular orientation of π-conjugated molecules has been reported to significantly affect the performance of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) based on molecular films. Hence, the control of molecular orientation is a key issue toward the improvement of OPV performance. In this research, oriented thin films of an n-type molecule, 3,4,9,10-Perylenetetracarboxylic Bisbenzimida-zole (PTCBI), were formed by deposition on in-plane oriented polythiophene (PT) films.

Crystallization Dynamics of Organolead Halide Perovskite by Real-Time X-ray Diffraction.

We analyzed the crystallization process of the CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite by observing real-time X-ray diffraction immediately after combining a PbI2 thin film with a CH3NH3I solution. A detailed analysis of the transformation kinetics demonstrated the fractal diffusion of the CH3NH3I solution into the PbI2 film. Moreover, the perovskite crystal was found to be initially oriented based on the PbI2 crystal orientation but to gradually transition to a random orientation.