The preparation of size-controlled CdS nanoparticles in block copolymer micelles and formation of composite particles of CdS nanoparticles and polymers are described in this paper. Uniformly sized CdS nanoparticles with different emission wavelengths were successfully synthesized. In addition, composite Janus particles, unidirectionally stacked lamellae particles and onion particles were formed...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron reflection (NR) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) are used to examine phase separation in symmetrically segregating thin polymer blend films (e1000 Å). Phase separation in the film leads to undulations of the liquid-air interface, provided the film is sufficiently thin to suppress surface-directed spinodal decomposition waves. Flattened droplets a...

The efficacy of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in compounded medications for oral mucosa greatly depends on the composition of the base. Researchers assessed the safety, facilitation of cell migration, and mucoadhesive properties of a newly developed mucoadhesive polymer blend (MPB) which contains pullulan, tamarindus indica polysaccharide, and sodium hyaluronate. No cell death was obs...

We study a blend of two kinds of homopolymers with tendency for seg-ragation. Cross-links between the chains of different kinds do not allow macrophase separation. Instead microphase structure appears. Starting from a microscopic model we derive the effective Hamiltonian and calculate the form of the inverse scattering function and the domain size. The latter is found to be of the order of the ...

Laser-induced cross-linking in polymeric semiconductors was utilized to achieve micro- and nano-structuring in thin films. Single- and two-photon cross-linking processes led to the reduction in both the refractive index and thickness of the polymer films. The resultant photonic structures combine the features of both relief- and phase-gratings. Selective cross-linking in polymer blend films bas...

Polymer transistors are being intensively developed for next-generation flexible electronics. Blends comprising a small amount of semiconducting polymer mixed into an insulating polymer matrix have simultaneously shown superior performance and environmental stability in organic field-effect transistors compared with the neat semiconductor. Here we show that such blends actually perform very poo...

Single-crystalline TiO2 nanorods (TiO2 NRs) are grown directly on FTO substrates by hydrothermal methods. The diameters and lengths of TiO2 NRs are easily controlled by growth conditions. When used in hybrid solar cells, TiO2 NRs function as the continuous pathway for fast electron transport to charge collecting electrode, demonstrating a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.21% with 140...

We present a simple and intriguing device that generates highly circularly polarized white light. It comprises white polymer light-emitting diodes (WPLEDs) attached to a wideband cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) reflector with a wide photonic bandgap (PBG) covering the visible range. The degree of circular polarization realized is very high over the visible range. The wide PBG was realized by i...

A 50:50 blend of polystyrene (PS) and poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PnBMA) has been characterized with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in Tapping Mode and with force-distance curves. The polymer solution has been spin-coated on a glass slide. PnBMA builds a uniform film on the glass substrate with a thickness of ≅200 nm. On top of it, the PS builds an approximately 100 nm thick film. The PS-film...

Poly(ethylene oxide) is demonstrated to be a suitable matrix polymer for the solution-doped conjugated polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene). The polarity of the insulator combined with carefully chosen processing conditions permits the fabrication of tens of micrometer-thick films that feature a fine distribution of the F4TCNQ dopant:semiconductor complex. Changes in electrical conductivity from 0.1 ...