Thin Films Of Soft Matter

This book provides a detailed overview and comprehensive analysis of the main theoretical and experimental advances on free surface thin film and jet flows of soft matter. The book outlines the basic equations and boundary conditions and the derivation of low-dimensional models for the evolution of the free surface. At the experimental front, a variety of recent experimental developments is outlined and the link between theory and experiments is illustrated.

This book provides a detailed overview and comprehensive analysis of the main theoretical and experimental advances on free surface thin film and jet flows of soft matter. The book outlines the basic equations and boundary conditions and the derivation of low-dimensional models for the evolution of the free surface. At the experimental front, a variety of recent experimental developments is outlined and the link between theory and experiments is illustrated.

The properties of soft-matter thin films (e.g. liquid films, polymer coatings, Langmuir-Blodgett multilayers) nowadays play an important role in materials science. They are also very exciting with respect to fundamental questions: In thin films, liquids and polymers may be considered as trapped in a quasi-two-dimensional geometry. This confined geometry is expected to alter the properties and structures of these materials considerably. This volume is dedicated to the scattering of x-rays by soft-matter interfaces. X-ray scattering under grazing angles is the only tool to investigating these materials on atomic and mesoscopic length scales. A review of the field is presented with many examples.

Ch. 1. Block copolymer thin films / J.-Y. Wang, S. Park and T. P. Russell -- ch. 2. Equilibration of block copolymer films on chemically patterned surfaces / G. S. W. Craig, H. Kang and P. F. Nealey -- ch. 3. Structure formation and evolution in confined cylinder-forming block copolymers / G. J. A. Sevink and J. G. E. M. Fraaije -- ch. 4. Block copolymer lithography for magnetic device fabrication / J. Y. Cheng and C. A. Ross -- ch. 5. Hierarchical structuring of polymer nanoparticles by self-organization / M. Shimomura ... [et al.] -- ch. 6. Wrinkling polymers for surface structure control and functionality / E. P. Chan and A. J. Crosby -- ch. 7. Crystallization in polymer thin films: morphology and growth / R. M. Van Horn and S. Z. D. Cheng -- ch. 8. Friction at soft polymer surface / M. K. Chaudhury, K. Vorvolakos and D. Malotky -- ch. 9. Relationship between molecular architecture, large-strain mechanical response and adhesive performance of model, block copolymer-based pressure sensitive adhesives / C. Creton and K. R. Shull -- ch. 10. Stability and dewetting of thin liquid films / K. Jacobs, R. Seemann and S. Herminghaus -- ch. 11. Anomalous dynamics of polymer Films / O. K. C. Tsui.

In a liquid crystal watch, the molecules contained within a thin film of the screen are reorientated each second by extremely weak electrical signals. Here is a fine example of soft matter: molecular systems giving a strong response to a very weak command signal. They can be found almost everywhere. Soft magnetic materials used in transformers exhibit a strong magnetic moment under the action of a weak magnetic field. Take a completely different domain: gelatin, formed from col lagen fibres dissolved in hot water. When we cool below 37°C, gelation occurs, the chains joining up at various points to form a loose and highly deformable network. This is a natural example of soft matter. Going further, rather than consider a whole network, we could take a single chain of flexible polymer, such as polyoxyethylene [POE = (CH CH O)N, 2 2 5 where N rv 10 ], for example, in water. Such a chain is fragile and may break under flow. Even though hydrodynamic forces are very weak on the molecular scale, their cumulated effect may be significant. Think of a rope pulled from both ends by two groups of children. Even if each girl and boy cannot pull very hard, the rope can be broken when there are enough children pulling.

This book provides an interdisciplinary overview of a new and broad class of materials under the unifying name Nanostructured Soft Matter. It covers materials ranging from short amphiphilic molecules to block copolymers, proteins, colloids and their composites, microemulsions and bio-inspired systems such as vesicles.

This book covers the experimental and theoretical understanding of surface and thin film processes. It presents a unique description of surface processes in adsorption and crystal growth, including bonding in metals and semiconductors. Emphasis is placed on the strong link between science and technology in the description of, and research for, new devices based on thin film and surface science. Practical experimental design, sample preparation and analytical techniques are covered, including detailed discussions of Auger electron spectroscopy and microscopy. Thermodynamic and kinetic models of structure are emphasised throughout. The book provides extensive leads into practical and research literature, as well as resources on the World Wide Web (see http://venables.asu.edu/book). Each chapter contains problems which aim to develop awareness of the subject and the methods used. Aimed as a graduate textbook, this book will also be useful as a sourcebook for graduate students, researchers and practitioners in physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering.

Heteroepitaxial films are commonplace among today's electronic and photonic devices. The realization of new and better devices relies on the refinement of epitaxial techniques and improved understanding of the physics underlying epitaxial growth. This book provides an up-to-date report on a wide range of materials systems. The first half reviews metallic and dielectric thin films, including chapters on metals, rare earths, metal-oxide layers, fluorides, and high-Tc superconductors. The second half covers semiconductor systems, reviewing developments in group-IV, arsenide, phosphide, antimonide, nitride, II-VI and IV-VI heteroepitaxy. Topics important to several systems are covered in chapters on atomic processes, ordering and growth dynamics.

Thin films have an extremely broad range of applications from electronics and optics to new materials and devices. Collaborative and multidisciplinary efforts from physicists, materials scientists, engineers and others have established and advanced a field with key pillars constituting (i) the synthesis and processing of thin films, (ii) the understanding of physical properties in relation to the nanometer scale, (iii) the design and fabrication of nano-devices or devices with thin film materials as building blocks, and (iv) the design and construction of novel tools for characterization of thin films.Against the backdrop of the increasingly interdisciplinary field, this book sets off to inform the basics of thin film physics and thin film devices. Readers are systematically introduced to the synthesis, processing and application of thin films; they will also study the formation of thin films, their structure and defects, and their various properties — mechanical, electrical, semiconducting, magnetic, and superconducting. With a primary focus on inorganic thin film materials, the book also ventures on organic materials such as self-assembled monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett films.This book will be effective as a teaching or reference material in the various disciplines, ranging from Materials Science and Engineering, Electronic Science and Engineering, Electronic Materials and Components, Semiconductor Physics and Devices, to Applied Physics and more. The original Chinese publication has been instrumental in this purpose across many Chinese universities and colleges.

The study of "soft matter" materials with complex properties has raised a number of interesting problems in basic physics, biology, and materials science, all of which promise new and important technological applications. After a review of chemical bonds and phase transitions, the authors treat topics such as surface phenomena, stability of colloidal systems, structural properties of polymers, and topological defects. The monograph's emphasis on underlying physical principles offers a coherent treatment of the great variety of research in the field.