Notes: We have measured forces between molecularly smooth solid surfaces separated by thin films of molten polydimethylsiloxane. We show that a long-range repulsion reported in earlier work is not an equilibrium force, but can be attributed to viscous drag effects. Consistent with previous results, the viscosity of the film can be modeled by assuming that a layer of polymer molecules is immobilized or "pinned'' at each surface for a time longer than the time scale of the measurements. We propose that this pinning is a result of entanglement-like effects in the vicinity of a wall.

Notes: An atomic force microscope using optical lever detection has been used to study the friction between muscovite mica and a tungsten tip. The frictional force is shown to vary laterally with the periodicity of the hexagonal layer of SiO4 units that forms the cleavage plane of mica. The frictional force varies linearly with normal force, giving a coefficient of friction of 0.09.

Notes: We performed a series of molecular dynamics simulations investigating the static and dynamic properties of polymer melts confined between planar solid surfaces. The solid–melt interface was found to be very narrow (approximately two segment diameters) and independent of chain length. Inside the interface the segment density profile was oscillatory, the bond orientation altered between directions parallel and normal to the solid surface, and the chain ends accumulated very close to the wall (in the absence of strong wall–segment attraction). The oscillations of the segment density profile were weaker and were dampened faster than those of a simple fluid density profile next to the same solid surface. This reflected the reduced ability of sequences of connected segments (chains) to layer themselves against a solid surface because of restrictions on their configurations imposed by the chain connectivity requirement. This effect made the solid–melt interface even narrower than that of a simple fluid. Only the chain portions lying inside the interface had their shape affected by the wall.Chain statistical segments inside the interface assumed orientations parallel to the wall. In the absence of wall–segment attraction, the size of the statistical segments inside the interface was unaffected. This situation resulted in an apparent decrease of the radius of gyration normal to the wall an apparent increase of the radius of gyration parallel to the wall and spatial independence of the total radius of gyration. The wall effect was gradually diminished and chains assumed their bulk dimensions when their center-of-mass was so far from the solid surface that no portions of the chain could reach the interface (i.e., at a distance comparable to the bulk radius of gyration). The microscopic dynamics of chain portions inside the interface were strongly anisotropic. The mobility increased in the direction parallel to the wall and decreased normal to the wall. This fact was caused by the angular asymmetry of the segment–segment collisions inside the interface, i.e., by the same mechanism that induces the segment layering. The total mobility inside the neutral wall–melt interface was identical with that in the bulk reflecting the fact that the average segment density inside the interface had essentially the bulk value. The presence of strong wall–segment attraction increased the average interfacial density above the bulk value and lowered the mobility of the interfacial chain portions in all directions. The mean-square displacement of the chain center-of-mass during a certain time interval was affected by the solid only if the chain had a portion of itself inside the interface for a fraction of this time interval. The longest relaxation time of the chains, a property that cannnot be localized properly on a length scale smaller than the interfacial width, exhibited a weak and strongly diminishing with chain length spatial dependence.

Notes: The effective viscosity and shear behavior of ultrathin films of two structurally different perfluoropolyether fluids have been investigated. The materials used were Fomblin Z, a linear random copolymer of fluoroethylene oxide and fluoromethylene oxide, and Fomblin Y, a branched random copolymer with fluoropropylene oxide and fluoromethylene oxide monomer units. The shearing experiments were conducted with the fluids confined between molecularly smooth surfaces at shear rates ranging from 200 to 4×103 s−1. It was found that when the thickness of the fluid films decreases from 10 to 2 nm, both perfluoropolyethers exhibited a sharp increase in viscosity, from bulk values to "surface viscosity'' values that are many orders of magnitude larger. With increasing shear rates, the Z-type fluid showed a gradual decrease in the shear stress indicating an apparent ordering of the molecules due to the applied shear forces. On the other hand, with the Y-type copolymer, the shear stresses were significantly lower and were proportional to the shear rate resembling Newtonian fluids. The results are explained in terms of the differences in the molecular architecture of the fluids and suggest a close relation between the molecular structure of the polymer melt near a solid wall and its frictional and lubricating properties.

Notes: We report light emission from light emitting diodes with poly(3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) as the active layer in both forward and reverse bias operation. The onset of electroluminescence (EL) of ITO/P3OT/Al devices occurs at current densities of 6.25×10−4 A/cm2 in both modes of operation; both cases show identical EL spectra. For a P3OT thickness of 100 nm the onset of electroluminescence and current occurs at 3 V in the forward bias mode, and at about 18 V in the reverse mode of operation, at which a completely different voltage dependence of the current is observed. In the reverse mode of operation, the data suggest that carrier injection is a tunneling process through a triangular barrier of 0.4 eV at the metal–polymer interface. In the forward bias a Schottky-like behavior is seen. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: In this work we apply a force modulation technique to a standard atomic force microscope (AFM) in order to study the elasticity of individual polystyrene molecules. The sample mounted on a piezoelectric tube was forced to vibrate along the z direction. The corresponding modulation of the cantilever, which reflects the spring constant of the sample, was phase sensitively detected and measured as a function of the surface topography. The image contrast in these images is based on local variations of the surface elasticity. Compared to the conventional AFM topography image, the elasticity image shows an enhanced contrast with pronounced molecular structure. © 1994 American Institue of Physics.

Notes: The transient behavior of photorefractive gratings in the polymer composite poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK), 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF), and N,N-diethyl-para-nitroaniline (EPNA) doped with various amounts of 4-(diethylamino)benzaldehyde diphenylhydrazone (DEH) is presented. The influence on the hole drift mobility due to the change in the trap density induced by DEH, was directly measured. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: Modification of the trap density of the photorefractive polymer composite poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK), 2,4,7-trinitro-9-fluorenone (TNF) and N,N-diethyl-para-nitroaniline (EPNA) was achieved with the addition of 4-(diethylamino)benzaldehyde diphenylhydrazone (DEH). Measurements of the response time, the phase shift and the amplitude of the photorefractive grating are presented. © 1995 American Institute of Physics.

Notes: By combining the well-known photoconductor poly(N-vinyl carbazole) sensitized with 2,4,7 trinitro-9-fluorenone and the electrooptic molecule N,N,diethyl-substituted para-nitroaniline, which is transparent at 633 nm, a photorefractive polymer composite suitable for applications with He-Ne lasers was developed. Net gain of 18 cm−1 and 400 ms response time were measured on a 65-μm-thick sample.

Notes: We have found that polymer light-emitting diodes (LEDs) contain high concentrations of metal impurities prior to operation. Narrow peaks in the electroluminescence spectrum unambiguously demonstrate the presence of atomic indium and aluminum. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling data corroborate this result. An average indium concentration of 5×1019atoms/cm3 originating from the indium–tin–oxide (ITO) electrode has been found in the polymer layer. © 1996 American Institute of Physics.