The Domain and Structural Characteristics of Ferroelectric Copolymers Based on Vinylidene Fluoride Copolymer with Tetrafluoroethylene Composition (94/6).

This paper presents data on the macroscopic polarization of copolymer films of vinylidene fluoride with tetrafluoroethylene obtained with a modified apparatus assembled according to the Sawyer-Tower Circuit. The kinetics of the polarization process were analyzed taking into consideration the contributions of both bound and quasi-free (impurity) charges. It was shown that an "abnormal" decrease in conductivity was observed in fields near the coercive fields. This could be associated with the appearance of deep traps of the impurity charge carriers formed by the polar planes of ß-phase crystals. The conductivity data obtained from the charge and current responses differed. It was concluded that chain segments contributing to polarization with sufficiently low fields were present in the amorphous phase. A comparison showed that the average size of ß-phase crystals (crystals of X-ray diffraction reflection width) was almost one order of magnitude lower than the domain size obtained using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The analysis of the fast-stage dielectric response before and after polarization indicated that as the external polarizing field increased in the ferroelectric polymer chains, conformational transitions occurred according to the T3GT3G- → (-TT-)n и TGTG → (-TT-)n types. This was accompanied by an increase in the effective dipole moment in the amorphous phase chains. The analysis of the IR spectroscopy data obtained in transmission and ATR modes revealed a difference in the conformational states of the chains in the core and surface parts of the film.

Polymer Nanocomposite Containing Palladium Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization, and Properties.

Composite nanomaterials have been prepared through thermal decomposition of palladium diacetate. The composite contains palladium nanoparticles embedded in high-pressure polyethylene. The materials were studied by a number of different physico-chemical methods, such as transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and EXAFS. The average size of the nanoparticles is 7.0 ± 0.5 nm. It is shown that with the decrease of metal content in the polymer matrix the average size of nanoparticles decreased from 7 to 6 nm, and the coordination number of palladium also decreased from 7 to 5.7. The mean size of palladium particles increases with the growing concentration of palladium content in the matrix. It is shown that the electrophysical properties of the material obtained depend on the filler concentration. The chemical composition of palladium components includes metallic palladium, palladium (III) oxide, and palladium dioxide. All samples have narrow lines (3-5 Oe) with a g factor of around two in the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra. It is shown that EPR lines have uneven boarding by saturation lines investigation. The relaxation component properties are different for spectral components. It leads to the spectrum line width depending on the magnetic field value. At first approximation, the EPR spectra can be described as a sum of two Lorentzian function graphs, corresponding to the following two paramagnetic centers: one is on the surface, and one is inside the palladium particles. Some of the experimental characteristics were measured for the first time. The data obtained indicate interesting properties of palladium-based nanocomposites, which will be useful for obtaining products based on these materials.

Low Cost Embedded Copper Mesh Based on Cracked Template for Highly Durability Transparent EMI Shielding Films.

Embedded copper mesh coatings with low sheet resistance and high transparency were formed using a low-cost Cu seed mesh obtained with a magnetron sputtering on a cracked template, and subsequent operations electroplating and embedding in a photocurable resin layer. The influence of the mesh size on the optoelectric characteristics and the electromagnetic shielding efficiency in a wide frequency range is considered. In optimizing the coating properties, a shielding efficiency of 49.38 dB at a frequency of 1 GHz, with integral optical transparency in the visible range of 84.3%, was obtained. Embedded Cu meshes have been shown to be highly bending stable and have excellent adhesion strength. The combination of properties and economic costs for the formation of coatings indicates their high prospects for practical use in shielding transparent objects, such as windows and computer monitors.

Optically Transparent and Highly Conductive Electrodes for Acousto-Optical Devices.

The study was devoted to the creation of transparent electrodes based on highly conductive mesh structures. The analysis and reasonable choice of technological approaches to the production of such materials with a high Q factor (the ratio of transparency and electrical conductivity) were carried out. The developed manufacturing technology consists of the formation of grooves in a transparent substrate by photolithography methods, followed by reactive ion plasma etching and their metallization by chemical deposition using the silver mirror reaction. Experimental samples of a transparent electrode fabricated using this technology have a sheet resistance of about 0.1 Ω/sq with a light transmittance in the visible wavelength range of more than 60%.