Developing a fundamental understanding of photocurrent generation processes at organic-inorganic interfaces is critical for improving hybrid solar cell efficiency and stability. This dissertation explores processes at these interfaces by combining data from photovoltaic device performance tests with characterization experiments conducted directly on the device. The dissertation initially focuses on exploring how morphologically and chemically modifying the organic-inorganic interface, between poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the electron donating light absorbing polymer and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) as the electron acceptor, can result in stable and efficient hybrid solar cells. Given the heterogeneity which exists within bulk heterojunction devices, stable interfacial prototypes with well-defined interfaces between bilayers of TiO₂ and P3HT were developed, which demonstrate tunable efficiencies ranging from 0.01 to 1.6 %. Stability of these devices was improved by using Cu-based hole collecting electrodes. Efficiency values were tailored by changing TiO₂ morphology and by introducing sulfide layers like antimony trisulfide (Sb₂S₃) at the P3HT-TiO₂ interface. The simple bilayer device design developed in this dissertation provides an opportunity to study the precise role played by nanostructured TiO₂ surfaces and interfacial modifiers using a host of characterization techniques directly on a working device. Examples introduced in this dissertation include X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling analysis of metal-P3HT and P3HT-TiO₂ interfaces and Raman analysis of bonding between interface modifiers like Sb₂S₃ and P3HT. The incompatibility of TiO₂ with P3HT was significantly reduced by using P3HT derivatives with -COOH moieties at the extremity of a polymer chain. The role of functional groups like -COOH in interfacial charge separation phenomena was studied by comparing the photovoltaic behavior of these devices with those based on pristine P3HT. Finally, for hybrid solar cells discussed in this dissertation to become commercially viable, high temperature processing steps of the inorganic TiO₂ layer must be avoided. Accordingly, this dissertation demonstrates the novel use of electromagnetic radiation in the form of microwaves to catalyze growth of anatase TiO₂ thin films at temperatures as low as 150 °C, which is significantly lower than that used in conventional techniques. This low temperature process can be adapted to a variety of substrates and can produce patterned films. Accordingly, the ability to fabricate TiO₂ thin films by the microwave process at low temperatures is anticipated to have a significant impact in processing devices based on plastics. / text

Orientador: Inez Valeria Pagotto Yoshida / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T12:33:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Segatelli_MarianaGava_D.pdf: 6527296 bytes, checksum: 894b8cf377317b78d905bf778e5f743e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: Este projeto envolveu a obtenção de materiais vítreos e/ou cerâmicos de SiCxOy e/ou SiC enriquecidos com carbono pela pirólise de precursores poliméricos híbridos, na presença e na ausência de acetato de níquel (NiAc). Os precursores poliméricos com e sem NiAc foram preparados por reação de hidrossililação entre poli(metilsiloxano) (PMS) e divinilbenzeno (DVB), em diferentes composições. Além destes precursores, nanotubos de carbono (NTC) foram incorporados ao precursor polimérico PMS/DVB e submetidos a um tratamento térmico a 1500°C em diferentes tempos. A estabilidade térmica e o rendimento cerâmico dos precursores foram analisados por TGA e a conversão polímero-cerâmica foi monitorada por XRD e espectros IR, C e Si NMR e Raman, além de análise elementar e medidas de densidade. A porosidade e a morfologia destes materiais também foram avaliadas. A composição do precursor polimérico influenciou a quantidade de carbono total nas cerâmicas resultantes, aumentando com a quantidade de DVB incorporada no precursor. O efeito da composição foi mais acentuado nas cerâmicas contendo Ni. Além disso, a incorporação de Ni aos precursores poliméricos promoveu alterações marcantes na estrutura e morfologia das cerâmicas, particularmente com relação à cristalização e a intensa carborredução, o que refletiu no aumento da densidade destes materiais devido à maior contribuição da fase cristalina b-SiC. A presença de Ni também contribuiu para a formação de nanofios retos e curvos contendo Si, O e C, principalmente na superfície dos corpos cerâmicos, apresentando diferentes composições em função de seus formatos. O aumento da temperatura de 950 a 1500°C favoreceu uma série de transformações estruturais nestes materiais, em especial, a organização da fase de Clivre dispersa na matriz cerâmica. A presença de NTC, como fonte extra de carbono, no precursor polimérico favoreceu a formação das fases de cristobalita e de b-SiC nas cerâmicas e o aumento da quantidade de defeitos na fase dispersa de Clivre. Para estas amostras, observou-se um processo de organização dos nanodomínios de carbono com o aumento do tempo de aquecimento a 1500°C, além de uma morfologia distinta das correspondentes cerâmicas obtidas na ausência dos NTC. / Abstract: In this study, vitreous and/or ceramic materials based on SiCxOy and/or SiC enriched with carbon were obtained by pyrolysis of hybrid polymeric precursors, in the presence or not of nickel acetate (NiAc). The polymeric precursors with and without NiAc were prepared by hydrosilylation reaction between poly(methylsiloxane) (PMS) and divinylbenzene (DVB), in different compositions. Apart from these precursors, carbon nanotubes (CNT) were added to the PMS/DVB precursor and submitted to thermal treatment at 1500°C in different times. The thermal stability and the ceramic yield of the precursors were analyzed by TGA and the polymer to ceramic conversion was monitored by XRD and IR, C and Si NMR and Raman spectra, elemental analysis and density measurements. The porosity and morphology of these materials were also evaluated. The polymeric precursor composition influenced the total carbon amount in the resulting ceramics, increasing with the DVB amount added to precursor. The effect of composition was more pronounced in the Ni-containing ceramics. In addition, the presence of Ni in the polymeric precursors promoted remarkable changes in the structure and morphology of the ceramics, particularly in relation to the crystallization and carboreduction, resulting in denser materials due to contribution of b-SiC crystalline phase. The introduction of Ni also contributed to the formation of straight and curved nanowires, mainly on the surface of the ceramic bodies, which presented different compositions according to their shapes. The increase of temperature from 950 to 1500°C promoted continuous structural transformations, leading to ordering process of Cfree phase dispersed in the ceramic matrix. The presence of CNT, used as an extra carbon source, in the polymeric precursor promoted the formation of cristobalite and b-SiC phases and the increase of defects in the Cfree phase presents in the ceramics. In the CNT-containing ceramics, the increase of the annealing time at 1500°C resulted in an ordering process of carbon nanodomains and a different morphology of the corresponding ceramics obtained without CNT. / Doutorado / Quimica Inorganica / Doutor em Ciências

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden neue Materialien für die additive Fertigung für opti-sche Anwendungen entwickelt. Hierbei wurde zunächst ein ORMOCER® Harz für den LCD/DLP 3D-Druck synthetisiert und charakterisiert. Das Material zeigte eine gute Druckbarkeit, gute optische Eigenschaften und eine hohe Stabilität gegenüber Belas-tungen mit UV-Licht, Temperatur und Luftfeuchtigkeit. Die prozessbedingte Stufenbil-dung für gekrümmte Oberflächen beim LDC/DLP Druck erforderte eine Weiterentwick-lung zu einem Harz, das auch mittels Inkjet-Verfahren gedruckt werden kann. Hierfür mussten die Viskosität des ORMOCER®s und die Einflüsse darauf untersucht werden. Zu diesem Zweck wurde die Synthese entsprechend verändert und die Produkte cha-rakterisiert. Variationen des Wasseranteils, des Katalysators, der Reaktionszeit, der Re-aktionsführung und der Edukte wurden durchgeführt. Harze mit resultierender niedriger Viskosität dürfen zusammenfassend nur zweifach anorganisch vernetzende Edukte mit niedrigem Reibungskoeffizienten beinhalten. Ein H2O-Verhältnis von 0,5 zu den vorlie-genden Si-O-Gruppen resultiert in akzeptablen Viskositäten und einer ausreichenden Stabilität. Als zuverlässiger Katalysator stellte sich HCl heraus. Die Reaktionszeit muss so gewählt werden, dass die Sol-Gel-Synthese abgeschlossen ist. Kürzere Zeiten füh-ren zwar zu kleineren Viskositäten, jedoch auch zu eventuell schlechter Langzeitstabili-tät. Veränderungen in der Reaktionsführung, durch Zutropfen der Edukte, resultierten jedoch vorwiegend zur Erhöhung der Viskositäten. Mit diesen Erkenntnissen wurde an-schließend ein Harz synthetisiert, das erfolgreich ohne weitere Verdünnungsschritte am Inkjet-Drucker prozessiert werden konnte. Dieses Harz ist zusätzlich auch am LCD/DLP Drucker einsetzbar. Als ergänzender Schritt konnte im Anschluss noch gezeigt werden, dass Partikel in Harze zusätzliche Eigenschaften, wie Fluoreszenz, einbringen können. / In the present work, new materials for additive manufacturing for optical applications were developed. First, an ORMOCER® resin for LCD/DLP 3D printing was synthe-sized and characterized. The material showed good printability, good optical proper-ties and high stability against exposure to UV light, temperature and humidity. The process-related step formation for curved surfaces in LDC/DLP printing required fur-ther development of a resin that can also be printed by inkjet. For this purpose, the variables of the viscosity of ORMOCER®s had to be investigated. For this purpose, the synthesis was modified accordingly, and the products were characterized. Varia-tions of the water content, the catalyst, the reaction time, the way of the reaction and the reactants were carried out. In summary, resins with resulting low viscosity may contain only twofold inorganic crosslinking reactants with low friction coefficient. An H2O ratio of 0.5 to the Si-O groups present results in acceptable viscosities and suffi-cient stability. HCl turned out to be a reliable catalyst. The reaction time must be as long as the sol-gel synthesis needs to be completed. Shorter times lead to lower vis-cosities, but also to possibly poor long-term stability. However, changes in the reaction control, for example by adding reactants dropwise, resulted mainly in an increase in viscosity. These findings were then used to synthesize a resin that could be success-fully processed on the inkjet printer without further dilution steps. This resin can also be used on the LCD/DLP printer. As a complementary step, it was subsequently shown that particles can introduce additional properties, such as fluorescence, into resins. Here, quantum dots, black dyes and refractive index-increasing zirconium dioxide particles were successfully incorporated into LCD/DLP resins and characterized.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:58:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NelsonRD_DISSERT.pdf: 6410040 bytes, checksum: b984ed383486a723e2f3e4c87e50d6c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-20 / This research work is based, in search of reinforcement s vegetable alternative to polymer composites. The idealization of making a hybrid composite reinforced with vegetable fibers licuri with synthetic fibers is a pioneer in this area. Thus was conceived a hybrid composite laminate consisting of 05 (five) layers being 03 (three) webs of synthetic fibers of glass and E-02 (two) unidirectional fabrics of vegetable fibers licuri. In the configuration of the laminate layers have alternating distribution. The composite laminate was manufactured in Tecniplas Commerce & Industry LTD, in the form of a card through the manufacturing process of hand lay up. Licuri fibers used in making the foil were the City of Mare Island in the state of Bahia. After cooking and the idealization of the hybrid composite laminate, the objective of this research work has focused on evaluating the performance of the mechanical properties (ultimate strength, stiffness and elongation at break) through uniaxial tensile tests and three point bending. Comparative studies of the mechanical properties and as well as among other types of laminated hybrid composites studied previously, were performed. Promising results were found with respect to the mechanical properties of strength and stiffness to the hybridization process idealized here. To complement the entire study were analyzed in terms of macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the fracture for all tests. / O presente trabalho de investiga??o baseia-se na busca de refor?os vegetais alternativos aos comp?sitos polim?ricos. A idealiza??o de confeccionar um comp?sito h?brido com refor?o de fibras vegetais de licuri com as fibras sint?ticas ? pioneira nessa ?rea. Para tanto foi idealizado um laminado comp?sito hibrido constitu?do de 05 (cinco) camadas sendo 03 (tr?s) de mantas de fibras sint?ticas de vidro-E e 02 (duas) de tecidos unidirecionais de fibras vegetais de licuri. Na configura??o do laminado as camadas possuem distribui??o alternada. O laminado comp?sito foi fabricado, industrialmente, na forma de uma placa, atrav?s do processo de fabrica??o de lamina??o manual (hand lay up). As fibras de licuri utilizadas para a confec??o do laminado foram da cidade de Ilha de Mar? no estado da Bahia. Ap?s a idealiza??o e confec??o do laminado comp?sito h?brido, o objetivo desse trabalho de investiga??o se concentrou em avaliar o desempenho das propriedades mec?nicas (resist?ncia ?ltima, rigidez e deforma??o na ruptura), atrav?s dos ensaios de tra??o uniaxial e flex?o de tr?s pontos. Estudos comparativos entre as propriedades mec?nicas obtidas, bem como entre outros tipos de laminados comp?sitos h?bridos j? estudados, foram realizados. Resultados promissores foram encontrados com rela??o ?s propriedades mec?nicas de resist?ncia e rigidez para esse processo de hibridiza??o aqui idealizado. Para complementa??o de todo o estudo foram realizadas an?lises macrosc?picas e microsc?picas das caracter?sticas da fratura para todos os ensaios.

The main aim of this work id to provide integral methods to predict and characterize the properties of composite structures based on hybrid polymers and reinforcements, that could lead to useful results from an industrial point of view. This is addressed, if possible, by theoretical predictions of the effective properties by using the available experimental data. The first part is focused on the scientific achievements of the author that allowed a quantitative characterization of the main effective properties of several composite architectures from hybrid polymers and reinforcements, based on bio matrices, tailor-made matrices and different theoretical and simulation methods using computer software to allow good comparison. The second part defines the future research lines to continue this initial investigation. The main objectives are clearly defined to give the reader a sound background with the appropriate concepts that are specifically discussed in the following chapters. As a main objective, this research work makes a first attempt to provide a systematic analysis and prediction of composite hybrid structures. / El objetivo general del trabajo es proporcionar medios integrales para predecir y caracterizar las propiedades de las estructuras de compuestos basados en polímeros y refuerzos híbridos, principales que pueden producir resultados de utilidad práctica simultáneamente. Esto se logra comparando, siempre que sea posible, las predicciones teóricas de las propiedades efectivas con los datos experimentales disponibles. Una primera parte se ocupa de los logros científicos del autor que permitieron caracterizar cuantitativamente las principales propiedades efectivas de las arquitecturas de compuestos basados en polímeros y refuerzos híbridos, basados en matrices bio, auto-desarrollados y diferentes métodos teóricos y de simulación por ordenador utilizados para la comparación. La segunda parte identifica las orientaciones futuras para la evolución y desarrollo de la ciencia y la investigación. Los objetivos generales fueron subrayados y concisos para dar al lector una visión previa de los conceptos que serán discutidos específicamente en los siguientes capítulos. Indirectamente, apuntan hacia uno de los objetivos principales de este trabajo, a saber, proporcionar una dirección para el análisis sistemático de materiales compuestos a base de refuerzos híbridos. / L'objectiu general d'aquest treball es proporcionar els mitjos integrals per tal de predir i caracteritzar les propietats d'estructures de compòsits basats en polímers i reforçaments híbrids, que poden produir resultats amb utilitat pràctica simultàniament. Aquest objectiu s'aconsegueix comparant, sempre que és possible, les prediccions teòriques de les propietats efectives amb les dades experimentals disponibles. Una primera part es centra en els temes científics en què ha treballat l'autor que han permès caracteritzar quantitativament les principals propietats efectives de les arquitectures de compòsits basades en polímers i reforçaments híbrids, derivats de matrius bio, auto-desenvolupats i diferents mètodes teòrics i de simulació informàtica per a una correcta comparació. La segona part identifica les orientacions futures per tal d'establir l'evolució i desenvolupament de la ciència i investigació lligada a la temàtica de la tesi. Els objectius generals han sigut clarament definits per tal de donar-li al lector una visió prèvia i sòlida dels conceptes que es discuteixen en capítols venidors. Indirectament, apunten cap a un dels objectius principals d'aquest treball, a saber, proporcionar una direcció per a l'anàlisi sistemàtica de materials compòsits a base de polímers i reforçaments híbrids. / Motoc, D. (2017). Development of green composites based on epoxidized vegetable oils (EVOs) with hybrid reinforcements: natural and inorganic fibers [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/90399 / TESIS

The growing demand for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) need high-speed commu-nication within short-range distances. In the Back-End-Of-Line (BEOL), Single-Mode Waveguide (SMW) with micro-mirror shows the promising application as an Optical Redistribution Layer (O-RDL) connecting photonic-chip at the interposer-level. The presented study shows the potential application of the 2-Photon-Polymerization (2PP) process for fabrication of out-of-plane coupling elements (micro-mirror) for SMW using low-loss Ormocer® hybrid polymers. This fabricated micro-mirror uses as a coupling element to connect the light from RDL to chips or for inter-layer connections at Interposer level. To evaluate the processing time, structural quality, and resolution of the printed micro-mirror, two types of lenses (63x and 25x) and Ormocer® polymers (OrmoComp and OrmoCore) were used. The optimization of the process flow for the micro-mirrors for SMW applications will be described in detail.

Διερευνήθηκε η δέσμευση/αποδέσμευση ιόντων Cu(II) ή/και αντίθετα φορτισμένων επιφανειοδραστικών ενώσεων από συμπολυμερή τύπου κτένας. Ο κεντρικός σκελετός ήταν το πολυ(ακρυλικό νάτριο), PANa, ενώ οι πλευρικές αλυσίδες ήταν το Πολυ(Ν,Ν-διμεθυλακρυλαμίδιο) και το πολυ(Ν-Ισοπροπυλακρυλαμίδιο). Η συμπλοκοποίηση των συμπολυμερών με τα ιόντα Cu(II)σε υδατικό περιβάλλον διερευνήθηκε με θολομετρία, ιξωδομετρία, φασματοφωτομετρία UV-Vis, δυναμική σκέδαση φωτός, ιχνηθέτηση με φθορίζοντες ιχνηθέτες και προσδιορισμό του ζ-δυναμικού. Σε επόμενο στάδιο διερευνήθηκε η δυνατότητα σχηματισμού τριμερών συμπλόκων ΡAΝa/Cu(II)/επιφανειοδραστικής ένωσης σε υδατικό περιβάλλον. Από τη φυσικοχημική μελέτη των συστημάτων σε συνάρτηση του pΗ, ελήφθησαν σημαντικές πληροφορίες σχετικά με τον ανταγωνισμό των δύο ειδών (ιόντα Cu(II)ή ιόντα επιφανειοδραστικής ένωσης) να σχηματίσουν σύμπλοκα με το PANa. Ως τελικό στάδιο, παρασκευάστηκαν αδιάλυτα στο νερό υβριδικά υλικά πολυμερούς/Cu(II)ή πολυμερούς/Cu(II)/επιφανειοδραστικής ένωσης. Έπειτα από διερεύνηση της συμβατότητας/αναμιξιμότητάς τους με εμπορικές μήτρες που χρησιμοποιούνται συνήθως στη βιομηχανία χρωμάτων, ορισμένα από αυτά ενσωματώθηκαν σε πραγματικά χρώματα. / The binding/release of Cu(II) ions or/and surfactants from comb-type copolymers was studied. The backbone was poly(sodium acrylate), PANa, whereas the side chains were poly(N, N-Dimethylacrylamide) and Poly9N-Isopropylacrylamide). The complexation of these copolymers with Cu(II) ions in water, was studied by turbidimetry, viscometry, UV-Vis fasmatophotometry, dynamic light scattering, fluorescense probing and ζ-potential. As a next step, the possible formation of ternary PANa/Cu(II)/surfactant complexes in water was studied. From the physiocochemical studies with pH, important information was taken as far as the competition of the two species (Cu(II) ions and surfactant) to form complexes with PANa is concerned. As a next step, water-insoluble hybrid polymer/Cu(II) or polymer/Cu(II)/surfactant materials were produced. After studies upon the compatibility/mischibility of the hybrid materials with matrices that are usually used in paints, some of the materials were incorporated to paints.

The ultra high barrier films for packaging find applications in a wide variety of areas where moisture and oxygen barrier is required for improved shelf-life of food/beverage products and for microbial free pharmaceutical containers. These materials also find applications in micro electro mechanical systems such as ICs, and for packaging in industrial and space electronics. Flexible and portable organic electronics like OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes), OPVDs (Organic Photo Voltaic Devices) and dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have a good potential in next generation solar powered devices. In fact, organic insulators, semiconductors, and metals may be a large part of the future of electronics. However, these classes of materials are just an emerging class of materials mainly because of their life time constraints. Thus significant research is required to bring them into the forefront of electronic applications. If the degradation problems can be diminished, then these polymers could play a major role in the worldwide electronic industry. A flexible polymer film itself cannot be used as an encapsulation material owing to its high permeability. While a glass or metal substrate possesses ultra high barrier properties, it cannot be used in many electronic applications due to its brittleness and inflexibility. Polymer/ nanocomposites based hybrid materials are thus a promising class of material that can be used for device encapsulation. Chapter I summarizes some of the recent developments in the polymer/nanocomposites based materials for packaging and specifically its use in flexible as well as portable organic electronic device encapsulation. While the development of low permeable encapsulant materials is a chemistry problem, an engineering/instrumentation problem is the development of an accurate technique that can measure the low levels of permeability required for electronic application. Therefore, there is a keen interest in the development of an instrument to measure permeability at these limits. The existing techniques to measure the low permeabilities of barrier films, their importance and accuracy of measurements obtained by these instruments have been briefly discussed in this chapter. Different polymer based hybrid composite materials have been developed for the encapsulation of organic devices and their materials properties have been evaluated. Broadly, two diverse strategies have been used for the fabrication of the composites: in-situ curing and solution casting. Chapters II, III and IV discuss the fabrication of nanocomposite films based on in-situ curing while chapter V discusses fabrication based on solution casting. In chapter II, amine functionalized alumina was used as a cross-linking agent and reinforcing material for the polymer matrix in order to fabricate the composites to be used for encapsulation of devices. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy were used to elucidate the surface chemistry. Thermogravimetric and CHN analysis were used to quantify the grafting density of amine groups over the surface of the nanoparticles. Mechanical characterizations of the composites with various loadings were carried out with dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). It was observed that the composites have good thermal stability and mechanical flexibility, which are important for an encapsulant. The morphology of the composites was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The work presented in chapter III is a technique based on grafting between surface decorated γ-alumina nanoparticles and the polymer to make these nanocomposites. Alumina was functionalized with allyltrimethoxysilane and used to conjugate polymer molecules (hydride terminated polydimethylsiloxane) through platinum catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction. As in the previous chapter, the surface chemistry of the nanoparticles after surface modification was characterized by different techniques (FTIR, XPS and Raman). The grafting density of alkene groups over the surface of the modified nanoparticles was calculated using CHN analyzer. Thermal stability of the composites was also evaluated using thermogravimetric analysis. Nanoindentation technique was used to analyze the mechanical characteristics of the composites. The densities of the composites were evaluated using density gradient column and the morphology of composites was evaluated using SEM. All these studies reveal that the composites have good thermal stability and mechanical flexibility and thus can be potentially used for encapsulation of organic photovoltaic devices. In addition, rheological studies of the composites were carried out to investigate the curing reaction. The platinum-catalyzed hydrosilylation reaction was studied using both DSC and rheological measurements. The competitive reactions occurring in the system was also monitored in real time through DSC and rheology. Based on the curing curves obtained from these two studies, the mechanistic detail of the curing process was proposed. In addition, swelling studies and contact angle measurements of the composites were also carried out to determine the capability of these materials as encapsulants. Chapter IV deals with a thermally stable and flexible composite that has been synthesized by following a hydrosilylation coupling between silicone polymer containing internal hydrides and mesoporous silica. The results of the characterization of the composites indicates that the composites are thermally stable, hydrophobic, flexible and can be potentially used for encapsulating flexible electronic devices. Chapter V discusses the solution casting method for the development of composites. This chapter is divided into two parts: Part I discusses the synthesis and characterization of flexible and thermally stable composites using polyvinyl alcohol as the base polymer matrix and reactive zinc oxide nanoparticles as the dispersed phase. Various studies like thermal analysis, mechanical analysis, surface analysis and permeability studies were used to characterize the composite films for their possible use as a passivation material. The material was used to encapsulate Schottky structured devices and the performance of these encapsulated devices under accelerated weathering was studied. Part II of this chapter discusses the fabrication of hybrid organic/inorganic based polymer-composite films, based on polyvinylbutyral (PVB) and organically modified mesoporous silica. PVB and amine functionalized mesoporous silica were used to synthesize the composite. An additional polyol (‘tripentaerythritol’) component was also used to enhance the –OH group content in the composite matrix. The thermal, barrier and mechanical properties of these composites were investigated. The investigation of these films suggests that these can be used as a moisture barrier layer for encapsulation. Chapter VI gives the concluding remarks of the results presented. The advantages as well as disadvantages of the in-situ cured and solution casted films and the scope for future work is discussed in this chapter.

Within healthcare there is a market pull for biomedical devices that can rapidly perform laboratory processes, such as diagnostic testing, in a hand-held format. For this reason, biomedical devices must become smaller, more sophisticated, and easier to use for a reasonable cost. However, despite the accelerating academic research on biomedical microdevices, and especially plastic-based microfluidic chips, there is still a gap between the inventions in academia and their benefit to society. To bridge this gap there is a need for new materials which both exhibit similar properties as industrial thermoplastics, and that enable rapid prototyping in academia. In this thesis, thiol-ene and thiol-ene-epoxy thermosets are evaluated both in terms of their suitability for rapid prototyping of biomedical microdevices and their potential for industrial manufacturing of “lab-on-chips”. The first part of the thesis focuses on material development of thiol-ene and thiol-ene-epoxy thermosets. Chemical and mechanical properties are studied, as well as in vitro biocompatibility with cells. The second part of the thesis focuses on microfabrication methods for both thermosets. This includes reaction injection molding, photostructuring, and surface modification. It is demonstrated how thiol-ene and thiol-ene-epoxy both provide advantageous thermo-mechanical properties and versatile surface modifications via “thiol-click chemistry”. In the end of the thesis, two applications for both polymer platforms are demonstrated. Firstly, thiol-ene is used for constructing nanoliter well arrays for liquid storage and on-demand electrochemical release. Secondly, thiol-ene-epoxy is used to enhance the biocompatibility of neural probes by tuning their flexibility. It is concluded that both thiol-ene and thiol-ene-epoxy thermosets exhibit several properties that are highly suitable for rapid prototyping as well as for scalable manufacturing of biomedical microdevices. / <p>QC 20171003</p>

This dissertation presents the novel creation of a hybrid D-fiber electro-optic polymer electric field sensor. The sensor is made by removing a portion of the cladding from a D-shaped optical fiber, thus exposing the core to interaction with external stimulus. Then, an electro-optic polymer is deposited, partially replacing the core of the fiber. Next, the polymer is poled to endow it with electro-optic properties. This sensor is packaged in order to restore its mechanical strength. Because D-fiber is not intrinsically compatible with standard optical equipment it is fusion spliced to standard polarization maintaining fiber. Finally the sensor is tested for electro-optic sensitivity. The hybrid D-fiber electric field sensors designed and fabricated in this work meet the requirements of mechanical strength, temporal stability, minimal perturbation of the electric field by the sensor, and a small and flexible cross-sectional area so that it can be embedded into the device under test. A fully packaged hybrid electro-optic polymer D-fiber electric field sensor which is capable of detecting electric fields of 50 V/m at a frequency of 6 GHz is produced. The sensor's electro-optic response is shown to be temporally stable. Additionally, the sensor is physically robust, and physically and electrically non-intrusive. This work also adds a thorough understanding of the design and fabrication of D-fiber waveguides with a polymer material deposited in the core. Several new fabrication techniques are developed and presented. A path to greater electric field sensitivity is outlined for future research.