• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.18-18
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• 2003

Natural clays are composed of oxide layers whose thickness is about 1nm and cations existing between the layers. A number of these layers makes primary particles with a height of about 8∼10nm and these primary particles make aggregates with a size of about 0.1∼10$\mu\textrm{m}$. When layered silicate was made to be organophilic, by exchanging the interlayer cations with organic cationic molecules, the matrix polymer can penetrate between the layers to give a nanocomposite, where 1nm-scal clay layers exist separately in a continuous polymer matrix. These nanostructured hybrid organic-inorganic composites have attracted the great interest of researchers over the last 10 years. They exhibit improved performance properties compared with conventional composites, because their unique phase morphology by layer intercalation or exfoliation maximizes interfacial contact between the organic and inorganic phases and enhances interfacial properties. Since the advent of nylon-6/montmorillonite nanocomposite developed by Toyota Motor Co., the studies on layered silicate-polymer nanocomposites have been successfully extended to other polymer systems. They greatly improved the thermal, mechanical, barrier, and even the flame-retardant properties of the polymers.

• Proceedings of the Optical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2001.02a
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• pp.206-207
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• 2001

The photorefractive (PR) effect in liquid crystals sandwiched between photoconductive polymer layers was first studied by Ono et al. They reported that the PR effect vanished at steady state If there were not insulating layers because no charge trapping occurred in the photoconductive poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) layers. However we observed a significant PR effect in the polymer layered liquid crystal (PLLC) system where a liquid crystal layer doped with fullerene is sandwiched between two photoconductive PVK layers. (omitted)

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.120-124
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• 2000

Clay-dispersed nanocomposites have been prepared by simple melt-mixing of two components, styrenic polymers with different content of functional groups and two different organophilic clays (Cloisite(R) 25A and Cloisite(R)30A) with a twin screw extruder. Dispersibility of 10-$\AA$-thick silicate layers of clay in the hybrid was investigated by using an X-ray diffraction method and a transmission electron microscope. It was found that if the interaction force between intercalant and matrix polymer is attractive, the matrix polymer intercalates more rapidly into the gallery of silicate layers. The faster intercalation of matrix polymer leads to the better dispersibility of silicate layers in the matrix polymer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.70-75
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• 2011

We introduced nanoscale interfacial layers between the PV layer and the cathode in poly (3-hexylthiophene):methanofullerene bulk-heterojunction polymer photovoltaic (PV) cells. The nanoscale double interfacial layers were made of ultrathin poly (oxyethylenetridecylether) surfactant and low-work-function alloy-metal of Al:Li layers. It was found that the nanoscale interfacial layers increase the photovoltaic performance, i.e., increasing short-circuit current density and fill factor with improved device stability. For PV cells with the nanoscale double interfacial layers, an increase in power conversion efficiency of $4.18{\pm}0.24%$ was achieved, compared to that of the control devices ($3.89{\pm}0.08%$) without the double interfacial layers.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.95-101
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• 2000

Clay/poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) copolymer (SAN) hybrids have been prepared by simple meltmixing of two components, SAN and organophilic clays with a twin screw extruder. Effects of intercalant on the dispersibility of silicate layers in clay-dispersed nanocomposite were studied by using five different organophilic clays modified with the intercalants of different chemical structures and different fractions of intercalant. The dispersibility of 10-$\AA$-thick silicate layers of clay in the hybrid was investigated by using an X-ray diffractometer and a transmission electron microscope. It was found that if the fraction of intercalant in the organophilic clay becomes too high, SAN is difficult to intercalate into the inter-gallery of silicate layers in the hybrid prepared at 180$\^{C}$, and thus the hybrid shows poor dispersibility of silicate layers. The flexural modulus of the hybrid increases as the dispersibility of silicate layers in the hybrid increases.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.74-74
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• 2011

Polymer solar cells utilize bulk heterojunction (BHJ) type photo-active layer in which the electron donating polymer and electron accepting C60 derivatives are mixed together. In the BHJ system the electron donating polymer and electron accepting C60 derivatives are blended. The blended system causes charge recombination at the interface between the BHJ active layer and electrode. To reduce the charge recombination at the interface, it is needed to use an interlayer that can selectively transfer electrons or holes. We have developed solution processable wide band gap inorganic interfacial layers for polymer solar cells. The effect of interlayers on the performance of polymer solar cell was investigated for various types of conjugated polymers. We have found that inorganic interfacial layers enhanced the solar cell efficiency through the reduction of charge recombination at the interface between active layer and electrode. Furthermore, the stability of the polymer solar cell using the interlayer was significantly improved. The efficiency of 6.5% was obtained from the PTB7:PCBM70 based solar cells utilizing $TiO_2$nanoparticles as an interlayers.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.367-372
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• 2005

As a preliminary work for the preparation of nylon 6/c1ay nanocomposites by reactive extrusion, nylon 6/c1ay nanocomposites were prepared by anionic polymerization in a flask. In order to investigate the effect of the intercalation of clay layers, the clay feeding times, such as in pre-mixing where the clay was fed before initiation of polymerization and in after-mixing method where the clay was fed after initiation of polymerization, were changed. The appearance of the WAXD peak of nanocomposites prepared by the pre-mixing method was obvious and the tensile strength was decreased compared with that of pure nylon 6, which indicates that the clay layers were not dispersed and distributed. During the preparation of the nanocomposites by the after-mixing method, disordering of the clay layers was observed with increasing clay addition time and was suspected to result from the rapid polymerization of nylon 6 within the clay layers.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.43 no.4 s.287
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• pp.207-212
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• 2006

[ ${\varepsilon}-caprolactam$ ] was polymerized in the layers of the [DEACOOH]-Montmorillonite intercalations complex at high temperatures ranging from 250% to 260% formed from Na-Montmorillonite and 10-Carboxy-n-decyldimethylethylammonium bromide to achieve [DEACOOH]-Polycaprolactam-Montmorillonite, in which an inorganic polymer (montmorillonite) is chemically combined with an organic polymer (polycaprolactam). The results of X-ray and IR analyses for the samples obtained after polymerization showed that the polymerization reaction was successfully accomplished. For the purpose of studying the polymeric reaction product more precisely, the polymerized product was separated from the silicate layers and analyzed with an X-ray diffractometer and an IR-spectrometer. A comparison of the results of the X-ray and IR analyses of the separated polymer and the polymer that was synthesized by the reaction of ${\varepsilon}-caprolactam$ solely with the organic cation without montmorillonite showed that the obtained both polymers are identical compounds.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.182-189
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• 2006

In this paper, the adhesion characteristics between a fused silica without or with an anti-sticking layer and a thermoplastic polymer film used in thermal NIL were investigated experimentally in order to identify the release performance of the anti-sticking layer. The anti-sticking layers were derived from fluoroalkylsilanes, (1H, 1 H, 2H, 2H-perfluorooctyl)trichlorosilane ($F_{13}-OTS$) and (3, 3, 3-trifluoropropyl)trichlorosilane (FPTS), and coated on the silica surface in vapor phase. The commercial polymers, mr-I 7020 and 8020 (micro resist technology, GmbH), for thermal NIL were spin-coated on Si substrate with a rectangular island which was fabricated by conventional microfabrication process to achieve small contact area and easy alignment of flat contact sur- faces. Experimental conditions were similar to the process conditions of thermal NIL. When the polymer film on the island was separated from the silica surface after imprint process, the adhesion force between the silica surface and the polymer film was measured and the surfaces of the silica and the polymer film after the separation were observed. As a result, the anti-sticking layers remarkably reduced the adhesion force and the surface damage of polymer film and the chain length of silane affects the adhesion characteristics. The anti-sticking layers derived from FPTS and $F_{13}-OTS$ reduced the adhesion force per unit area to 38% and 16% of the silica sur-faces without an anti-sticking layer, respectively. The anti-sticking layer derived from $F_{13}-OTS$ was more effective to reduce the adhesion, while both of the anti-sticking layers prevented the surface damages of the polymer film. Finally, it is also found that the adhesion characteristics of mr-I 7020 and mr-I 8020 polymer films were similar with each other.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers Conference
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• 2002.10b
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• pp.51-52
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• 2002

We report results on microtribological studies of chemically grafted nanoscale polymer layers of different architecture with thickness below 30 nm. We have fabricated the molecular lubrication coatings from elastomeric tri-block copolymers and tested two different designs of corresponding nanocomposite coatings. We observed a significant reduction of friction forces and an increase of the wear stability when a minute amount of oil was trapped within the grafted polymer layer. These polymer gel layers exhibited a very steady friction response and a small value of the coefficient of friction as compared to the initial polymer coating. A polymer 'triplex' coating has been formed by a multiple grafting technique. The unique design of this layer Includes a hard-soft-hard architecture with a compliant rubber interlayer mediating localized stresses transferred through the topmost hard layer. This architecture provides a non-linear mechanical response under a normal compression stress and allows additional dissipation of mechanical energy via the elastic rubber interlayer.