The surface-induced structure formation of polymer-dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) on a chemically patterned substrate was studied for the first time. The patterns on the substrate were successfully transferred to the PDLC film, resulting in alternating LC-rich and polymer-rich phases. This simple approach offers a new means of organizing micrometer-sized LC domains into well-ordered structur...

Electron field emission measurements have been made on multiwall arc discharge carbon nanotubes embedded in a conjugated polymer host. Electron emission at low nanotube content is observed and attributed to an enhancement of the applied electric field at the polymer/nanotube/vacuum interface where the electron supply through the film is attributed to fluctuation induced tunneling in a disordere...

In the present work, an effective and systematic modelling technique is devised to generate optimal formulations for explicit polymer film applications. These methods aim at developing quantitative values for not only intrinsic properties, but qualitative characteristics are developed in order to simultaneously optimise the formulation subject to the specific radio-contaminants decontamination....

The synthesis of homopolymer and diblock copolymers on surfaces was demonstrated using electrodeposition of a methacrylate-functionalized carbazole dendron and subsequent reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) "grafting-through" polymerization. First, the anodically electroactive carbazole dendron with methacrylate moiety (G1CzMA) was electrodeposited over a conducting surface ...

An ultrafast, parallel, and beyond-the-master micropatterning technique for ultrathin (30-400 nm) nonabsorbing polymer films by diffraction of laser light through a 2D periodic aperture is reported. The redistribution of laser energy absorbed by the substrate causes self-organization of polymer thin films in the form of wrinklelike surface relief structures caused by localized melting and freez...

In transmission-reflection method, the microstrip transmission line coated with an organic polymer as an overlay is used to estimate the permittivity of the polymer film. Scattering parameter response of the microstrip line varies as the permittivity of the overlay or its thickness changes. The permittivity is estimated by minimizing the difference between the theoretical (computed from the ana...

An electrically tunable wettability in a liquid crystal/ polymer composite film is demonstrated, in which liquid crystal molecules are anchored among polymer grains. The tunable wettability of the composite films originates from the reorientation of the anchored liquid-crystal molecules, which is switched by an in-plane electric field with squared pulses of voltages. These liquid crystal/polyme...

Sheet and film processes include polymer film extrusion, coating processes of many types, paper manufacturing, sheet metal rolling, and plate glass manufacture. Identification, estimation, monitoring, and control of sheet and film processes are of substantial industrial interest since effective control means reduced usage of raw materials, increased production rates, improved product quality, e...

Semiconducting metal-oxide TiO2 films were deposited on FTO substrates via a sol-gel method to fabricate inverted polymer solar cells. The pore size of the TiO2 films was effectively controlled by using the sols different in stirring time. The solar cell was constructed with a fullerene derivative interlayer and a photoactive mixture of poly(3hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid m...

Mercury-thin film electrodes coated with a thin film of poly(ester sulphonic acid) (PESA) have been investigated for application in the analysis of trace heavy metals by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry using the batch injection analysis (BIA) technique. Different polymer dispersion concentrations in water/acetone mixed solvent are investigated and are characterised by electrochemical i...