Polymer thin films are key functional components for advanced manufacturing and separations technologies. Improvements in the properties of polymer thin films can assist in the development of new lithographic approaches, improved membrane efficiency, or lower detection limits for sensors. Final control over the properties can be achieved by variation in either structure or chemistry and can often depend on variations near interfaces. Understanding structure-property relationships in these systems requires the development of new characterization approaches given the limited sample volumes. Research projects include the study of block copolymers and polymer blends, characterization of chemical reactions in thin films, development of soft X-ray scattering and reflectivity methods, and the integration of scattering measurements with simulations.

 

References

Sunday DF, Kline RJ: “Reducing Block Copolymer Interfacial Widths Through Polymer Additives”. Macromolecules 48(3): 679-686, 2015

Sunday DF, Hammond MR, Wang C, Wu W-L, Delongchamp DM, Tjio M, Joy Y, Pitera JW, Kline RJ: “Determination of the Internal Morphology of Nanostructures Patterned by Directed Self Assembly”. ACS Nano 8(8): 8426-8437, 2014

 

Keywords:

Polymer; Scattering; Reflectivity; X ray; Soft X ray; Block copolymer; Thin film; Nanostructure;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants