Repeatability of material parameter extraction of liquids from transmission terahertz time-domain measurements.

Recently, many research groups worldwide have reported on the THz properties of liquids. Often these parameters, i.e., refractive index and absorption coefficient, are determined using liquids in cuvettes and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. Here, we discuss the measurement process and determine how repeatable such measurements and the data extraction are using rapeseed oil as a sample. We address system stability, cuvette positioning, cuvette cleaning and cuvette assembly as sources affecting the repeatability. The results show that system stability and cuvette assembly are the most prominent factors limiting the repeatability of the THz measurements. These findings suggest that a single cuvette with precise positioning and thorough cleaning of the cuvette delivers the best discrimination among different liquid samples. Furthermore, when using a single cuvette and measurement systems of similar stability, the repeatability calculated based on several consecutive measurements is a good estimate to tell whether samples can be discriminated.

Polymer stabilized liquid crystal phase shifter for terahertz waves.

We propose an electrically tunable phase shifter for terahertz frequencies. The device is based on a polymer stabilized liquid crystal which allows for a simple device geometry. The polymer stabilized liquid crystal enables continuous tuning of the introduced phase shift with only one pair of electrodes. By characterizing the device with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy we demonstrate a phase shift up to 2.5 terahertz, only slightly changed properties of the neat liquid crystal and significantly reduced response times.

High-Q terahertz bandpass filters based on coherently interfering metasurface reflections.

We present compact and easy-to-realize terahertz bandpass filters with Q values in the order of 500. The filters are based on coherently interfering reflections from two parallel metasurfaces applied to the boundaries of a semiconductor disk. By changing the thickness of the semiconductor disk and the dimensions of the metasurface structures, the filter can be optimized for various terahertz frequencies. Moreover, a precise tuning of the resonance frequency is possible via the temperature of the structure or its angle with respect to the propagation direction.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy as a tool to monitor the glass transition in polymers.

We demonstrate the suitability of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy as a non-destructive, contact-free tool to monitor the glass transition in polymers--a core feature of the amorphous phase. Below the glass transition temperature T(g), segmental motions along the polymer chain are frozen due to the lack of free volume between neighboring macromolecules. We show that this transition also reflects in the temperature dependence of the refractive index at terahertz frequencies. Two domains can be identified, which differ in their sensitivity to temperature changes. To verify the proposed approach, we determine the glass transition temperature T(g) of semi-crystalline poly(oxymethylene) (POM) with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and validate the results by destructive differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements.

A fast degrading odd-odd aliphatic polyester-5,7 made by condensation polymerization for biomedical applications.

A fast enzymatic degradable aliphatic all-odd-polyester-5,7, based on 1,7-heptanedioic acid (pimelic acid) and 1,5-pentanediol, was synthesized by polycondensation. The structural characterization of the polyester was done using 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopic techniques. The properties of the resulting polyester-like crystallization behavior, enzymatic degradation, thermal stability, etc., were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and gel-permeation chromatography. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy was employed to determine the glass transition temperature, which could not be revealed reliably by conventional thermal analysis. The properties of all-odd-polyester-5,7 were compared with a well-known enzymatic degradable polyester (polycaprolactone). The results indicated that polyester-5,7 has a crystal structure similar to PCL, but a much faster degradation rate. The morphology of polyester-5,7 film during enzymatic degradation showed a fibrillar structure and degradation began by surface erosion.