A high flux thin-film nanocomposite membrane epoxy/ zeolite NaA nanocomposite films prepared by using ultrasonic mixing and spin coating. The synthesized nanocomposites film was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravity analysis (TGA), and FTIR spectroscopy. Water softener and water flux characteristics of the epoxy/ zeolite NaA nanocomposite ...

The anion-selectivity of the surface of a polymer ultrathin film incorporating an amphiphilic ruthenium(II) polypyridine complex with diperchlorate was examined using X-ray absorption spectroscopy with the total electron-yield method. The adsorbed species on the film surface were found to depend on the chemical composition in water where the film was prepared. By combining the X-ray absorption ...

An alkali-hydrolysable surfactant, (1-tetradecyloxycarbonylmethyl)trimethylammonium chloride, was used as an emulsifier for emulsion polymerization of styrene in water. The polymerization yielded a high molecular-weight polymer almost quantitatively. Addition of a small amount of NaOH to the resulting latex solution precipitated the polymer immediately. Analysis of the centrifuged solid indicat...

In this study the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite/poly(ε-caprolactone)–poly(ethylene glycol) bilayer coatings on Nitinol superelastic alloy was investigated. The surface of Nitinol alloy was activated by a thermo-chemical treatment and hydroxyapatite coating was electrodeposited on the alloy, followed by applying the polymer coating. The surface morphology of coatings was studied using FE-SEM and...

Copolymerisation of an Osmium (II) functionalised pyrrole moiety, Osmium -bis-N,N’-(2,2’bipyridyl)-N-(pyridine-4-ylmethyl-(8-pyrrole-1yl-octyl)-amine)chloride (1) with 3methylthiophene was carried out. The resulting conducting polymer film exhibited a clear redox couple associated with the Os response and the familiar conducting polymer backbone signature. The effect of film thickness upon the ...

This work reported a high quality photonic crystal film with an ultra-narrow photonic bandgap obtained via a chemical synthetic route. The bandgap is much narrower than that of traditional colloidal crystals, which makes the film qualified for use in optical devices. The narrow PBG originates from not only the high crystallinity and uniform orientations of microcrystals within the film but also...

In this study, we report a 4-fold improvement in fluorescence detection sensitivity as a result of integration of a thin-film mirror onto an Ormocomp-based electrophoresis separation chip. We report fabrication and performance characterization of planar thin-film Al mirrors embedded under the polymer microchannels. Furthermore, we present preliminary work on fabrication of concave thin-film mir...

We observed the formation of regular nanoscale undulations on a polystyrene film when imprinted by a soft poly(dimethylsiloxane) mold above the polymer's glass transition temperature. The shape of the wave was reminiscent of a buckling wave frequently observed for a metal film supported on an elastomeric substrate. We derived a simple theoretical model based on an anisotropic buckling of the po...

The effect of polymer, plasticizer, and surfactant additives on stress development during drying of calcium carbonate particulate coatings was studied using a controlled-environment apparatus that simultaneously monitors drying stress, weight loss, and relative humidity. We found that the calcium carbonate coatings display a drying stress evolution typical of granular films, which is characteri...

We have proposed composite films composed of a molecular-aligned polymer and liquid crystal (LC) for substrate-free liquid crystal displays with high-contrast images. We successfully controlled the molecular alignment of the LC and formed molecular-aligned LC droplets in the polymer by controlling the fluidity of the LC/monomer mixture and the curing rate of the monomer. key words: substrate-fr...