Self-organization and dewetting kinetics in sub-10 nm diblock copolymer line/space lithography.

In this work, we investigated the self-assembly of a lamellar block copolymer (BCP) under different wetting conditions. We explored the influence of the chemical composition of under-layers and top-coats on the thin film stability, self-assembly kinetics and BCP domain orientation. Three different chemistries were chosen for these surface affinity modifiers and their composition was tuned in order to provide either neutral wetting (i.

Consequences of Radiothermal Ageing on the Crystalline Morphology of Additive-Free Silane-Crosslinked Polyethylene.

The radiothermal ageing of silane-crosslinked low-density PE (Si-XLPE) films was studied in the air under three different γ dose rates (8.5, 77.8, and 400 Gy·h) at a low temperature close to ambient (47, 47, and 21 °C, respectively).

A New Kinetic Modeling Approach for Predicting the Lifetime of ATH-Filled Silane Cross-Linked Polyethylene in a Nuclear Environment.

This study focuses on the degradation of a silane cross-linked polyethylene (Si-XLPE) matrix filled with three different contents of aluminum tri-hydrate (ATH): 0, 25, and 50 phr. These three materials were subjected to radiochemical ageing at three different dose rates (8.5, 77.

Towards a Kinetic Modeling of the Changes in the Electrical Properties of Cable Insulation during Radio-Thermal Ageing in Nuclear Power Plants. Application to Silane-Crosslinked Polyethylene.

The radio-thermal ageing of silane-crosslinked polyethylene (Si-XLPE) was studied in air under different γ dose rates (6.0, 8.5, 77.

Double dynamic hydrogels formed by wormlike surfactant micelles and cross-linked polymer.

Hypothesis: Interpenetrating networks consisting of a polymer network with dynamic cross-links and a supramolecular network allow obtaining hydrogels with significantly enhanced mechanical properties.

Experiments: Binary hydrogels composed of a dynamically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) network and a transient network of entangled highly charged mixed wormlike micelles (WLMs) of surfactants (potassium oleate and n-octyltrimethylammonium bromide) were prepared and studied by rheometry, SANS, USANS, cryo-TEM, and NMR spectroscopy.

Findings: Binary hydrogels show significantly enhanced rheological properties (a 3400-fold higher viscosity and 27-fold higher plateau modulus) as compared to their components taken separately.

Dual Transient Networks of Polymer and Micellar Chains: Structure and Viscoelastic Synergy.

Dual transient networks were prepared by mixing highly charged long wormlike micelles of surfactants with polysaccharide chains of hydroxypropyl guar above the entanglement concentration for each of the components. The wormlike micelles were composed of two oppositely charged surfactants potassium oleate and n-octyltrimethylammonium bromide with a large excess of anionic surfactant. The system is macroscopically homogeneous over a wide range of polymer and surfactant concentrations, which is attributed to a stabilizing effect of surfactants counterions that try to occupy as much volume as possible in order to gain in translational entropy.

Preparation and characterization of poly(ethylene terephthalate) films coated by chitosan and vermiculite nanoclay.

Chitosan (CS) layers are coated on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film in order to decrease the oxygen permeability through the polymeric films for food packaging applications. Oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of the 130 μm PET films can be decreased from 11 to only 0.31 cm/m².

Morphology, Thickness, and Composition Evolution in Supramolecular Block Copolymer Films over a Wide Range of Dip-Coating Rates.

Dip-coating, an important industrial technique, has been underexploited for preparing block copolymer (BC) thin films, such that the knowledge regarding their general characteristics is limited. Here, we present an overview of the crucial factors that determine how BC film morphology evolves as a function of dip-coating rate (withdrawal speed) over a wide range, illustrated using THF solutions of a polystyrene--poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (PS-P4VP) diblock copolymer mixed with two small molecules, naphthol and naphthoic acid, which are hydrogen-bonders with P4VP. Key factors in determining the film morphology are the systematic variation in film thickness and, for supramolecular BCs, in film composition with dip-coating rate.