Mesoscale morphologies in polymer thin films

In the midst of an exciting era of polymer nanoscience, where the development of materials and understanding of properties at the nanoscale remain a major R&D endeavor, there are several exciting phenomena that have been reported at the mesoscale (approximately an order of magnitude larger than...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Progress in polymer science 2011-06, Vol.36 (6), p.793-812
Main Authors: Ramanathan, Muruganathan, Darling, Seth B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amorphous
Annealing
Applied sciences
Blends
Copolymer
Crystalline
Dewetting
Exact sciences and technology
Excitation
Fractals
Holes
Instability
Mesoscale
Mesostructure
Morphology
Nanocomposites
Nanomaterials
Nanostructure
Organic polymers
Physicochemistry of polymers
Polymer
Polymeric films
Properties and characterization
Spherulite
Structure, morphology and analysis
Thin film
Thin films
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Summary:In the midst of an exciting era of polymer nanoscience, where the development of materials and understanding of properties at the nanoscale remain a major R&D endeavor, there are several exciting phenomena that have been reported at the mesoscale (approximately an order of magnitude larger than the nanoscale). In this review article, we focus on mesoscale morphologies in polymer thin films from the viewpoint of origination of structure formation, structure development and the interaction forces that govern these morphologies. Mesoscale morphologies, including dendrites, holes, spherulites, fractals and honeycomb structures have been observed in thin films of homopolymer, copolymer, blends and composites. Following a largely phenomenological level of description, we review the kinetic and thermodynamic aspects of mesostructure formation outlining some of the key mechanisms at play. We also discuss various strategies to direct, limit, or inhibit the appearance of mesostructures in polymer thin films as well as an outlook toward potential areas of growth in this field of research.
ISSN:0079-6700
1873-1619
DOI:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2010.12.006