A micropatterned multilayer film, which was fabricated from layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly of nitrodiazoresin (NDR)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) followed by photolithography, was utilized as a structured template for the biomimetic mineralization of calcium carbonate. Micropatterned CaCO3 films consisting of regularly aligned calcite crystals oriented in the <104> direction were selecti...

Using the generalized Ginzburg-Landau-Devonshire theory, the characteristics of phase transformation of a ferroelectric thin film with surface layers are investigated. We study the effect of the surface layer on the properties (coercive field, critical thickness) of a ferroelectric thin film. Our theoretical results show that the surface layer is likely to answer for the emergence of phase tran...

PURPOSE To investigate whether the tear film thinning between blinks is caused by evaporation or by tangential flow of the tear film along the surface of the cornea. Tangential flow was studied by measuring the movement of the lipid layer. METHODS Four video recordings of the lipid layer of the tear film were made from 16 normal subjects, with the subjects keeping their eyes open for up to 30...

We developed a new method for characterizing molecular distribution in very thin liquid crystal layer (5–40 nm) evaporated onto rubbed polyimide film used by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD). The diffraction peaks corresponding to intermolecular correlation perpendicular to longitudinal axis of liquid crystal molecule and the clear anisotropic distribution of liquid crystal molecules ...

The Ti/TiN multi-layer film was prepared on the depleted uranium (DU) substrate by cathodic arc ion plating equipment. The character of multi-layer film was studied by SEM, XRD and AES, revealed that the surface was composed of small compact particle and the cross-section had a multi-layer structure. The fretting wear performance under different frequencies was performed by a MFT-6000 machine w...

Zinc oxide thin films have been obtained on bare and GaN buffer layer decorated Si (111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), respectively. GaN buffer layer was achieved by a two-step method. The structure, surface morphology, composition, and optical properties of these thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, infrared absorption s...

A flat, compressed elastic film on a viscous layer is unstable. The film can form wrinkles to reduce the elastic energy. A linear perturbation analysis is performed to determine the critical wave number and the growth rate of the unstable modes. While the viscous layer has no effect on the critical wave number, its viscosity and thickness set the time scale for the growth of the perturbations. ...

A new type of multilayer film analytical element--consisting of a spreading layer, a blocking layer, an enzymic reagent layer, and a transparent layer--has been developed for blood glucose determination. After a spot of whole blood is dropped on the film, the plasma glucose concentration is determined in 6 min without further manipulations. Precise measurement of sample volume spotted on the fi...

In this study, a high-performance inductively coupled thin film multifunctional sensor for structural monitoring applications is presented. A versatile layer-by-layer self-assembly sensor fabrication technique is employed to encode different sensing mechanisms (e.g. strain and corrosion/pH) within one homogeneous thin film structure. Judicious selection of various polyelectrolyte species, along...