| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/E04591X/1 |
| Title: |
Ternary phase separation during spin casting |
| Principal Investigator: |
Geoghegan, Professor M |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Department: |
Physics and Astronomy |
| Organisation: |
University of Sheffield |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
01 January 2008 |
Ends: |
31 March 2012 |
Value (£): |
154,112
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
| Complex fluids & soft solids |
Materials Processing |
| Materials Synthesis & Growth |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Spin coating is a widely used tool in the manufacture of very smooth and very thin polymer films. For example, it is routinely used on a massive scale for making integrated circuits and colour filters for liquid crystal displays. It is likely to be a centrally important processing step in the emerging field of polymer electronics. The most common situation is the spin coating of a polymer solution (a polymer dissolved in a solvent). A flat disc, which has been flooded with the solution, is rotated at speeds of up to 10,000 revolutions per minute. This results in a uniform coating of solution. The solvent then rapidly evaporates to leave a very smooth and high quality film of pure polymer. A more complicated situation, that has great technological potential, occurs when two polymers are spun from a common solvent. Most chemically different polymers do not like to mix, but if diluted enough in a solvent favourable to both polymers a mixed solution forms. However, the two polymers will separate from each other as the solvent evaporates. Significantly, this can result in a wide variety of microstructures in the final films. These can range from two well defined layers to situations in which lateral phase separation takes place on a variety of length-scales, from nanometres to many micrometres. In thin films of, for example, semiconducting polymers used in light emitting diodes and photovoltaic devices, the device efficiency depends critically on the microstructure. Hence, if one understands how to control the microstructure, one can achieve an optimised film in a single, inexpensive processing step.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.shef.ac.uk |