One of the long-standing challenges in the field of polymer semiconductors is to figure out how long interpenetrating and entangled polymer chains self-assemble into single crystals from the solution phase or melt. 24 May 2010
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) methods significantly augment the capabilities of traditional surface modification techniques for designing polymeric surfaces. 24 May 2010
New generations of materials are being sought as solid-state electrolytes that facilitate fast ion conduction in mechanically robust, yet thin, polymer membranes. 18 May 2010
Block copolymers, either as semiconductors themselves or as structure directors, are emerging as a promising class of materials for understanding and controlling processes associated with both photovoltaic energy conversion and light emitting devices. 18 May 2010
Are you on Facebook? Twitter, perhaps? Maybe LinkedIn? What about a social networking site dedicated to materials science? If you are not, you may be more alone than you think… 16 February 2010
Nature is the best example of a system functioning on the nanometer scale, where the involved materials, energy consumption and data handling are optimized. Opening the doors to the nanoworld the emergence of the scanning tunneling microscope in 1982 and the atomic force microscope in 1986 led to a shift of paradigm in the understanding and perception of matter at its most fundamental level. 24 August 2009
Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques can obtain nanoscale images of soft materials in almost any environment and over a wide range of temperatures. Being non-destructive, processes such as crystallization can be followed in-situ, and the effect of changes in temperature on structures can be monitored at the nanometre scale. The application of these techniques over recent years has lead to a real change in our understanding of many fundamental processes. 24 August 2009
Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron reflection (NR) have become invaluable to many scientists in the soft matter community as methods of obtaining system information such as size, structure and particle interactions on the nanometer scale which cannot be achieved using other techniques. Neutron scattering is employed to study a wide range of soft matter science at ISIS, but this review will focus on three areas of interest: green solvents, polymer stability and drug delivery which have been chosen to illustrate how SANS and NR can be used to advance the understanding of the complex systems under investigation. 14 August 2009
Soft nanotechnology is a rapidly developing area of research that exploits principles such as self-assembly, entropy, swelling and collapse transitions, and polymeric building blocks to emulate actuation principles observed in natural systems. Unlike lithographically fabricated devices, soft nanotechnology uses much less regularly structured and largely organic materials, deriving their energy from chemical reactions and with macroscopic functionality arising from nanoscale conformational changes. In this review, some recent developments in nanostructured polymer gels and polymer brushes are discussed, which provide promising new directions for exploiting soft materials as nanoactuators. 20 June 2009
Polymer multi-layer films are used in a variety of industries. It is important both to the manufacturers of polymer films and to the industries using these films that the quality and composition be strictly controlled. The confocal analysis and high spatial resolution of Raman microscopy make this technique ideal for identifying the source and identity of defects and inclusions in polymer films. 12 April 2009
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are closely intertwined subjects that are attracting ever-increasing attention, both in the scientific world and in the marketplace. Major developments in growth and synthesis methods mean that atoms can nowadays be manipulated in a controlled fashion to produce novel properties that are often not found in bulk materials. 21 January 2009
Recent results have demonstrated the feasibility of video-rate scanning tunneling microscopy and video-rate atomic force microscopy. The further development of this technology will enable the direct observation of many dynamic processes that are impossible to observe today with conventional Scanning Probe Microscopes (SPMs). 21 January 2009
The first wave of nanotechnology has concerned itself with what is in effect an incremental continuation of long-existing trends in materials science, in which ever-greater control over the nanoscale structure of materials leads to better properties and more functionality. Modern materials rely on being able to control both interfacial structure and grain boundaries in order to develop improved properties. Functional materials for electronics and photonics are changing the way we live and modern materials can enhance our lives further through medical applications of nanotechnology. What is now at issue is the form a second wave of nanotechnology might take – one in which attention is focused, beyond simple materials, to fully functional nanoscale devices. 20 June 2008
Soft nanotechnology is a rapidly developing area of research that exploits principles such as self-assembly, entropy, swelling and collapse transitions, and polymeric building blocks to emulate actuation principles observed in natural systems. Unlike lithographically fabricated devices, soft nanotechnology uses much less regularly structured and largely organic materials, deriving their energy from chemical reactions and with macroscopic functionality arising from nanoscale conformational changes. In this review, some recent developments in nanostructured polymer gels and polymer brushes are discussed, which provide promising new directions for exploiting soft materials as nanoactuators. 20 June 2008
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