Film thickness solvent evaporation

Solution casting of BCP films usually leads to quenching of nonequilibrium morphologies that depend on film thickness, solvent evaporation, and substrate type. In addition to temperature annealing, solvents and solvent vapors were employed as effective tools to enhance equilibration of BCP morphology... 

Although there are several SEEP formulations described in literature (Table 12.2), the most described and widely used is SELP-47K. Besides the ability to produce hydrogels, self-assembled structures and electrospun fibres, it is also possible to fabricate thin films by solvent evaporation at room temperature [65,66]. The major difference between hydrogels and thin films resides in the fabrication process and the resulting microstructure. Thin films of SELP-47K were made by dissolving the lyophilized powder in water and letting the solvent evaporate from the casting moulds [65-67]. Film thickness is controlled by the solution concentration and the volume used to cast. 

Samples of analyte are dissolved in a suitable solvent and placed on the IR card. After the solvent evaporates, the sample s spectrum is obtained. Because the thickness of the PE or PTEE film is not uniform, the primary use for IR cards has been for qualitative analysis. Zhao and Malinowski showed how a quantitative analysis for polystyrene could be performed by adding an internal standard of KSCN to the sample. Polystyrene was monitored at 1494 cm- and KSCN at 2064 cm-. Standard solutions were prepared by placing weighed portions of polystyrene in a 10-mL volumetric flask and diluting to volume with a solution of 10 g/L KSCN in... 

Film thickness is an important factor iu solvent loss and film formation. In the first stage of solvent evaporation, the rate of solvent loss depends on the first power of film thickness. However, iu the second stage when the solvent loss is diffusion rate controlled, it depends on the square of the film thickness. Although thin films lose solvent more rapidly than thick films, if the T of the dryiug film iucreases to ambient temperature duriug the evaporation of the solvent, then, even iu thin films, solvent loss is extremely slow. Models have been developed that predict the rate of solvent loss from films as functions of the evaporation rate, thickness, temperature, and concentration of solvent iu the film (9). 

The solvent cannot evaporate from enclosed or shielded spaces and the intended film thickness will not be obtained ... 

Volatile analytes. As residue analysis is also trace analysis in the lower ppm (mg kg ) to ppb ( ug kg ) range, concentration steps usually involve evaporation of solvents (sometimes with traces of water present) to near dryness. The volatility of analytes can be deduced from their elution temperatures in GC, and thus whenever an analyte elutes from a nonpolar GC phase of film thickness <0.25 qm below approximately 150 °C, losses due to co-evaporation during concentration by the rotary evaporator or by a stream of nitrogen need to be avoided. 

Chromatographic columns (glass with stopcock and solvent reservoir, 10-mm i.d.) Fused-silica capillary column, DB-1701, 60 m x 0.32-mm i.d., O.lS-qm film thickness (14% cyanopropylphenyl)methylpolysiloxane Varian 3400 gas chromatograph equipped with a temperature-programmed SPI injector, a Varian 8100 autosampler, and a Varian Saturn II lontrap mass spectrometer Centrifuge vials, 10- and 250-mL Evaporation flasks, 100- and 250-mL Separatory funnel, 250-mL... 

Cheung et al. [702] have evaluated various solvent evaporative high-temperature SEC-FTIR interfaces. This detection approach was initially employed only for qualitative analysis, but is recently also being used quantitatively. For that purpose the polymer film quality generated by the interface is of critical importance (thickness effects). Table 7.76 lists the main features of evaporative SEC-FITR for polymer analysis. 

The ink-jet process relies on using a piezoelectric printhead that can create deformation on a closed cavity through the application of an electric field. This causes the fluid in the cavity to be ejected through the nozzle whose volume is determined by the applied voltage, nozzle diameter, and ink viscosity. The final width of the drop of the substrate is a result of the volume of fluid expelled and the thickness of the droplet on the surface. In addition, the drop placement is critical to the ultimate resolution of the display. Typical volumes expelled from a printhead are 10 to 40 pi, resulting in a subpixel width between 65 and 100 pm. Drop accuracies of +15 pm have been reported such that resolutions better than 130 ppi are achievable however, because the solvent to polymer ratio is so high, the drops must be contained during the evaporation process to obtain the desired resolution and film thickness. This containment can be a patterned photoresist layer that has been chemically modified so that the EL polymer ink does not stick to it. 

Polymer films of approximately 1000 microns wet film thickness were laid down with a bar applicator on PTFE coated glass panels and the solvent allowed to evaporate at ambient temperature for a standard period of seven days. A typical plot of solvent weight loss with time is shown in Figure 2. The thickness of the wet film was dictated by the need to have adequate mechanical strength in the dry films in order that they might be suitable for subsequent mechanical test procedures. Dry film thicknesses were approximately 300 microns as measured by micrometer. The dried polymer films were examined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) (Polymer Laboratories Ltd.). Typical DMTA data for a polymer and paint are... 

A number of different methods can be used to prepare polymer film-coated electrodes. The simplest is to dip the surface to be coated into a solution of the polymer, remove the electrode from the solution, and allow the solvent to evaporate. While this method is simple, it is difficult to control the amount of material that ends up on the electrode surface. Alternatively, a measured volume of solution can be applied to the surface to be coated. This allows for accurate control of the amount of polymer applied. The polymer film may also be spin-coated onto the electrode surface. Spin-coating is used extensively in the semiconductor industry and yields very uniform film thicknesses. 

The difference in processing behavior between rotors provided with straight blades and those with pitched blades is shown in Figure 6 by an application referring to solvent recovery from a polymer solution of low initial viscosity. The evaporation capacity of a thin-film evaporator equipped with straight blades decreases considerably as soon as the concentrated polymer reaches a viscosity between 1000 and 2000 P. The greatly increased mean film thickness that characterizes this vis-... 

---