Improving the performance of polymer solar cells by adjusting the crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation

In this paper, we report a high-perfornmnce P3HT/PCBM bulk-heterojunction solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 4.85% fabricated by adjusting the polymer crystallinity and nanoscale phase separation using an ultrasonic irradiation mixing approach for the polymer. The grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, UV/Vis spectroscopic, and atomic force microscopic measurement results for the P3HT/PCBM blend films reveal that the P3HT/PCBM film fabricated by ultrasonic irradiation mixing of the P3HT and PCBM solutions for 10 min has a higher degree of crystallinity, a higher absorption efficiency, and better phase separation, which together account for the higher charge transport properties and photovoltaic cell performance.

PHASE SEPARATION AND MICROVOID FORMATION AT PHASE INTERFACES OF HYDROPHOBIC-HYDROPHILIC POLYMER BLENDS DURING WET PROCESSING

In this paper,morphological structure,thermodynamic compatibility and relationship be-tween porosities and blend ratios of the wet coagulated PU/PVA sheets were studied by meansof observation of scanning electronic micrographies,tests of dynamic mechanical properties,moisture regain and vapor permeability.Furthermore,the formation of microvoids at interfacesof separated phases was discussed and a microvoid formation mechanism at phase interfaces ofhydrophobic-hydrophilic blends was suggested and compared with that ofhydrophobic-hydrophobic blends.

PHASE SEPARATION BEHAVIOR OF ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE COPOLYMER INDUCED BY SURFACES OF VARIOUS POLYMERS

This paper reports the phase separation behavior of ABS films cast on the surfaces of homopelymers or random copolymers.It is found that phase separation of ABS films was induced by the surfaces of the substrate polymers.The relationship between the miscibility of the sub- strate polymers and the phase separation behavior of ABS films was also examined.

Preparation of Polymer Composite Particles by Phase Separation Followed by Suspension Polymerization

The novel method for preparing the polymer composite particles has been developed. It was tried to prepare polymer composite particles composed of polystyrene and carbon black with the phase separation method followed by suspension polymerization. In order to prepare the polymer composite particles with the more uniform diameter, the styrene monomer droplets containing carbon black were formed with phase separation emulsification in which ethyl alcohol and water were used as the good solvent and the poor solvent for styrene monomer, respectively. In the experiment, the surfactant species and their concentrations, the pouring velocity of water and the weight ratio of carbon black to styrene monomer were mainly changed. Water was poured at the given pouring velocity into ethyl alcohol in which styrene monomer and an initiator were dissolved and carbon black was dispersed beforehand. The spherical polymer composite particles containing carbon black were prepared with Tween 20 and Tween 80 of nonionic surfactants and the irregular polymer composite particles were prepared with PVA, SDS and Kotamine. The diameters of polymer composite particles increased with the pouring velocity of water and with the weight ratio of carbon black to styrene monomer.

INVESTIGATION OF STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES FOR POLYMER SYSTEMS BASED ON DYNAMIC RHEOLOGICAL APPROACHES

The dynamic rheological measurements have been a preferred approach to the characterization of the structure and properties for multi-component or multi-phase polymer systems,due to its sensitive response to changes of structure for these heterogeneous polymers.In the present article,recent progresses in the studies on dynamic rheology for heterogeneous polymer systems including polymeric composites filled with inorganic particles,thermo-oxidized polyolefins,phase- separated polymeric blends and functional polymers with the scaling and percolation behavior are reviewed,mainly depending on the results by the authors' group.By means of rheological measurements,not only some new fingerprints responsible for the evolution of morphology and structure concerning these polymer systems are obtained,the corresponding results are also significant for the design and preparation of novel polymer-based composites and functional materials.

Sodium chloride methanol solution spin-coating process for bulk-heterojunction polymer solar cells

The sodium chloride methanol solution process is conducted on the conventional poly（3-hexylthiophene）（P3HT）/[6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester（PC_（61）BM） polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells. The device exhibits a power conversion efficiency of up to 3.36%, 18% higher than that of the device without the solution process. The measurements of the active layer by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, atomic force microscopy（AFM）, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy（UPS） indicate a slight phase separation in the vertical direction and a sodium chloride distributed island-like interface between the active layer and the cathode. The capacitance–voltage（C–V） and impedance spectroscopy measurements prove that the sodium chloride methanol process can reduce the electron injection barrier and improve the interfacial contact of polymer solar cells. Therefore, this one-step solution process not only optimizes the phase separation in the active layers but also forms a cathode buffer layer, which can enhance the generation, transport, and collection of photogenerated charge carriers in the device simultaneously. This work indicates that the inexpensive and non-toxic sodium chloride methanol solution process is an efficient one-step method for the low cost manufacturing of polymer solar cells.

Effects of acetone-soaking treatment on the performance of polymer solar cells based on P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction

The improvement of the acetone-soaking treatment to the performance of polymer solar cells based on the P3HT/PCBM bulk heterojunction is reported. Undergoing acetone-soaking, the PCBM does not distribute uniformly in the vertical direction, a PCBM enrichment layer forms on the top of the active layer, which is beneficial to the collec- tion of the carriers and blocking the inverting diffusion carriers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis reveals that the PCBM weight ratio on the top of the active layer increases by 20% after the acetone-soaking treatment. Due to the nonuniform distribution of PCBM, the short-circuit current density, the open-circuit voltage, and the fill factor are enhanced significantly. Finally, the power conversion efficiency of the acetone-soaking device increases by 31% compared with the control device.

PREPARATION OF POLYMER DISPERSED LIQUID CRYSTALS USING PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION

2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and styrene copolymers are prepared by photopolymerization. The electrooptical behavior and microstructure of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal films are investigated by using He-Ne laser and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. With increasing E7 content in the copolymer, droplet size increased, threshold voltage decreased.

Simultaneous Chiral Separation Using a Combinatorial Molecular Imprinting Phase

Molecular imprinting chiral stationary phase against Cbz-L-Serine (Cbz-L-Ser) and Cbz-L-Alaine (Cbz-L-Ala) were prepared utilizing acrylamide + 2-vinylpyridine as combined basic functional monomers. Cross-selectivity was used to obtain simultaneous chiral separations of Cbz-DL-Ser and Cbz-DL-Ala by connecting two columns packed with Cbz-L-Ser and Cbz-L-Ala imprinted chiral stationary phase, respectively.

COMPUTER SIMULATION OF MISCIBILITY AND SELF-ASSEMBLY STRUCTURE FOR POLYMER-CONTAINING SYSTEMS WITH SPECIAL INTERACTIONS

The miscibility and structure of A-B copolymer/C homopolymer blends with special interactions were studied by aMonte Carlo simulation in two dimensions. The interaction between segment A and segment C was repulsive, whereas it wasattractive between segment B and segment C. In order to study the effect of copolymer chain structure on the morphologyand structure of A-B copolymer/C homopolymer blends, the alternating, random and block A-B copolymers were introducedinto the blends, respectively. The simulation results indicated that the miscibility of A-B block copolymer/C homopolymerblends depended on the chain structure of the A-B copolymer. Compared with alternating or random copolymer, the blockcopolymer, especially the diblock copolymer, could lead to a poor miscibility of A-B copolymer/C homopolymer blends.Moreover, for diblock A-B copolymer/C homopolymer blends, obvious self-organized core-shell smicture was observed inthe segment B composition region from 20% to 60%. However if diblock copolymer composition in the blends is less than40%, obvious self-organized core-shell structure could be formed in the B-segment component region from 10 to 90%.Furthermore, computer statistical analysis for the simulation results showed that the core sizes tended to increasecontinuously and their distribution became wider with decreasing B-segment component.

Gelation Behavior of Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride)-based Gel Polymer Electrolyte

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF)-based gel polymer electrolytes with various compositions were prepared by solution casting technique. The kinetics of gelation was analyzed via the correlation between the apparent gelation rate and concentration of PVdF at a given temperature. Combination the results of the kinetics of gelation and the DSC study, it revealed that the phase separation was the major behavior and the fibrils were the major junction joints of the three-dimensional network even in the case the concentration of PVdF was higher than 25 wt%. The porous surface observed by ESEM also reflected that the phase separation took place during the gelation.

虚拟模板MIPs-SPE联用技术对茶叶粗提物中咖啡因的分离纯化研究

目的 采用儿茶素作为虚拟模板制备分子印迹聚合物(Molecular imprintingpolymers,MIPs)结合固相萃取(Solid phase extraction,SPE)技术对茶叶粗提物中的咖啡因进行分离纯化。方法 以儿茶素为虚拟模板,4-乙烯基吡啶为功能单体,乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂,聚苯乙烯为大分子拥挤试剂,以原位聚合的方式制备虚拟模板分子印迹聚合物。测定该分子印迹聚合物的保留性能、形貌特征和孔径分布等性能,以该分子印迹聚合物作为固相萃取吸附剂,对茶叶粗提物中的咖啡因进行分离纯化。结果 所制备儿茶素分子印迹聚合物对咖啡因的最优印迹因子为4.57。对茶叶粗提物中的咖啡因进行分离纯化后,在咖啡因纯度高于95%的条件下,咖啡因的回收率可达85%以上。结论 以儿茶素为虚拟模板合成的分子印迹聚合物,可以用于茶叶粗提物中咖啡因的分离纯化。

Effect of Phase Separation Size on the Properties of Self-healing Elastomer

Regulation of phase structure has been recognized as one of the most effective ways to fabricate self-healing polymers with high mechanical strength.The mechanical properties of the resultant polymers are certainly affected by the size of separated phase domain.However,the study on this aspect is absence,because it can hardly exclude the influence of variation in monomer proportion required for tuning the separated phase size.Here,we report the first study on tuning the phase size through reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer(RAFT)polymerization without changing the proportion of monomers.As expected,the size of separated phase has been successfully mediated from 15 nm to 9 nm by tuning the molecular weight of the chain transfer agent.It is found that the mechanical strength and the self-healing efficiency of the resultant polymers increase simultaneously with the decrease of phase size.The study on the formation kinetics of hydrogen bonds reveals that the decrease of phase size can facilitate the re-bonding rate of hydrogen bonds,even if the migration of polymer chains is restricted.

用于复杂生物样品体系分离与识别的分子印迹技术最新进展

由生物样品中复杂组分所导致的基质效应会严重影响分离分析技术的准确性、灵敏度与可靠性。免疫亲和技术作为降低或消除基质效应的方法已被广泛应用于诊断分析和蛋白纯化等领域,但该技术仍存在明显的缺点,如成本高昂、制备流程繁琐、保存条件苛刻以及配体浸出等问题。目前,如何通过有效降低或消除复杂生物样品中的基质效应来实现痕量目标分析物的分离及识别仍是一个具有挑战性的问题。分子印迹技术(molecular imprinting technology,MIT)一直被广泛应用于固相萃取与色谱分离等领域,随着MIT的发展,各种新型印迹策略被提出;其中,分子印迹聚合物(molecularly imprinted polymer,MIP)作为一种能够模拟抗原-抗体间相互作用的高分子聚合物,可以从各种复杂生物样品中提取出目标分析物,从而有效消除基质效应的影响。MIP不仅拥有高特异性与高亲和力的优点,而且与抗体和适配体等生物大分子相比,MIP还具有稳定性高、成本低廉以及制备简便等优势。近年来一些基于MIT的传统分离技术得到了深入发展,其中包括色谱固定相以及固相萃取吸附剂等。此外,结合了MIT与高灵敏检测技术的分析方法在疾病诊断和生物成像等领域也受到了广泛关注。本文着重介绍了近年来发展的新型印迹策略,并介绍了基于MIP的分离分析方法在各领域中的应用以及现阶段存在的不足,最后对MIT的未来发展方向做出了展望。

PVME/PS共混体系相分离行为的液态簧振动力学谱的研究

本研究利用自制的液态簧振动力学谱(RMS-L)技术研究了聚甲基乙烯基醚/聚苯乙烯(PVME/PS)二元共混物的玻璃化转变及相分离动力学过程,并选取了不同质量比样品,对每个样品从低温至高温的升降温循环测量。结果表明:(1)RMS-L方法可以灵敏地对不同混合比例的高分子共混体系玻璃化转变和相分离过程进行实时检测;(2)以纯PVME和纯PS玻璃化转变温度为基础,从11组待测样品中挑选组分比为5∶5的样品进行了分析,发现样品的玻璃化转变温度随着组分的变化而变化。而当温度达到某一点时样品会发生相分离。(3)当样品经过第二次升温时发现共混体系的玻璃化转变温度及相分离温度点均有变化,这说明在经过一次升温后样品已经被分为新的相;(4)结合不同比例样品的力学谱结果,发现共混体系相分离行为对时间和温度具有一定的依赖性,并且通过这种规律分析了高分子共混物相分离的动力学行为。

Formation of microporous polymeric membranes via thermally induced phase separation： A review

A review of recent research related to micro- porous polymeric membranes formed via thermally induced phase separation （TIPS） and the morphologies of these membranes is presented. A summary of polymers and suitable diluents that can be used to prepare these microporous membranes via TIPS are summarized. The effects of different kinds of polymer materials, diluent types, cooling conditions, extractants and additive agents on the morphology and performance of TIPS membranes are also discussed. Finally new developments in TIPS technology are summarized.

Comparison of oil displacement mechanisms and performances between continuous and dispersed phase flooding agents

To compare the oil displacement mechanisms and performances of continuous phase flooding agent(traditional polymer solution) and dispersed phase flooding agent(particle-type polymer SMG dispersion), the particle phase separation of SMG dispersion migrating in pores was simulated by using the microfluidic technology. Theoretically guided by the tree fork concentration distribution of red cells in biological fluid mechanics, the concentration distribution mathematical model of SMG in different pores is established. Furthermore, the micro and macro physical simulation experiments of continuous and dispersed phase flooding agents were carried out. The results show that the continuous flooding agent enters all the swept zones and increases the flow resistance in both larger and small pores. On the contrary, the particle phase separation phenomenon occurs during the injection process of dispersed flooding agent. The SMG particles gather in the larger pore to form bridge blinding, and the carrier fluid displace oil in the small pore. Working in cooperation, the SMG particle and carrier fluid drive the residual oil in the low permeability layers step by step and achieve the goal of enhanced oil recovery. The laboratory experimental results indicate that, the oil increment and water reduction effect of dispersed flooding agent is much better than that of continuous flooding agent, which is consistent with the field test results.

Hierarchical Porous Polymer Beads Prepared by Polymerization-induced Phase Separation and Emulsion-template in a Microfluidic Device

Porous polymer beads（PPBs） containing hierarchical bimodal pore structure with gigapores and meso-macropores were prepared by polymerization-induced phase separation（PIPS） and emulsion-template technique in a glass capillary microfluidic device（GCMD）. Fabrication procedure involved the preparation of water-in-oil emulsion by emulsifying aqueous solution into the monomer solution that contains porogen. The emulsion was added into the GCMD to fabricate the（water-in-oil）-in-water double emulsion droplets. The flow rate of the carrier continuous phase strongly influenced the formation mechanism and size of droplets. Formation mechanism transformed from dripping to jetting and size of droplets decreased from 550 μm to 250 μm with the increase in flow rate of the carrier continuous phase. The prepared droplets were initiated for polymerization by on-line UV-irradiation to form PPBs. The meso-macropores in these beads were generated by PIPS because of the presence of porogen and gigapores obtained from the emulsion-template. The pore morphology and pore size distribution of the PPBs were investigated extensively by scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry（MIP）. New pore morphology was formed at the edge of the beads different from traditional theory because of different osmolarities between the water phase of the emulsion and the carrier continuous phase. The morphology and proportion of bimodal pore structure can be tuned by changing the kind and amount of porogen.

Monte Carlo simulation of phase separation kinetics in a concentrated polymer solution

Spinodal decomposition (SD) kinetics in a concentrated polymer solution was investigated with dynamic Monte Carlo simulation. It is found that the positions of scattering peaks are altered during the early stage of phase separation, which cannot be described by the classic Cahn\|Hilliard linearized theory quite well, whereas during the late stage SD induced by a deep off\|critical quench, the structure factors can be scaled with Furukawa dynamic scaling law associated with a percolation morphology instead of with a non\|continuous phase morphology. Our simulation outputs agree basically with the experimental observations in the pertinent literature. It is also revealed that after a deep quench, chain coils shrink strikingly at first and then expand gradually during phase separation. As a consequence, this paper demonstrates that the dynamic Monte Carlo method is unique in detecting both chain configurations and phase separation kinetics and thus very useful for elucidating their relationship in mixtures containing macromolecules.

Challenging multiphase complex fluids for applications

Modern processing technology is calling the scientific understanding of dynamic processes,where the science of complex fluids plays a central role.We summarize our recent efforts using the generic approaches of multi-scale physics of complex fluids on apparently irrelevant processes,i.e.the mixing of polymer blends,the processing of thermoplastic(TP) toughened thermosetting(TS) composites using phase separation of TP in TS,as well as the enhanced oil recovery using polymer soft gel.It is emphasized that the thorough physical understanding in multi-scales of time and space through the joint efforts of experiment and theory in each scale is the key issue for the modeling of various processes.