Celebrating Soft Matter's 10th anniversary: stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsion polymerized smart fluids.

The Pickering emulsion process is an important and interesting way of forming hybrid soft matter particles stabilized by solid particles as surfactants instead of the extensive use of conventionally available organic surfactant molecules. This Highlight briefly reviews stimuli-responsive polymer/inorganic hybrid materials fabricated by Pickering emulsion polymerization along with the rheological characteristics of their electrorheological and magnetorheological smart fluids under electric and magnetic fields, respectively.

Poly(4-vinylphenol-co-methyl methacrylate)/Hafnium Oxide Nanocomposite Gate Insulators for Organic Thin-Film Transistors.

We fabricate 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-Pn) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with nanocomposite insulators. The insulator layers consist of both poly(4-vinylphenol-co-methyl methacrylate) and high-dielectric constant hafnium oxide (HfO2) nanoparticles. The HfO2 nanoparticles are ball-milled for sufficient dispersion in a nanocomposite solution to enable solution process methods to be used in preparing the insulator layers. The nanocomposite insulators demonstrate high capacitances and improve the performance of TIPS-Pn TFTs. Nonetheless, particle aggregates are produced in the nanocomposites solution with high HfO2 concentrations, generating detrimental effects on the dielectric properties and the TFT performance. Our experimental result implies that the optimum concentration of HfO2 nanoparticles in a mixed solution will find to be ~11.5 wt%.

Stimuli-Responsive Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites under Electric Fields.

This short Feature Article reviews electric stimuli-responsive polymer/clay nanocomposites with respect to their fabrication, physical characteristics and electrorheological (ER) behaviors under applied electric fields when dispersed in oil. Their structural characteristics, morphological features and thermal degradation behavior were examined by X-ray diffraction pattern, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. Particular focus is given to the electro-responsive ER characteristics of the polymer/clay nanocomposites in terms of the yield stress and viscoelastic properties along with their applications.

Synthesis of kenaf cellulose carbamate and its smart electric stimuli-response.

Cellulose carbamate (CC) was produced from kenaf core pulp (KCP) via a microwave reactor-assisted method. The formation of CC was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nitrogen content analysis. The degree of substitution, zeta potential and size distribution of CC were also determined. The CC was characterized with scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetry analysis. The CC particles were then dispersed in silicone oil to prepare CC-based anhydrous electric stimuli-responsive electrorheological (ER) fluids. Rhelogical measurement was carried out using rotational rheometer with a high voltage generator in both steady and oscillatory shear modes to examine the effect of electric field strength on the ER characteristics. The results showed that the increase in electric field strength has enhanced the ER properties of CC-based ER fluid due to the chain formation induced by electric polarization among the particles.

Stability Study of Flexible 6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene Thin-Film Transistors with a Cross-Linked Poly(4-vinylphenol)/Yttrium Oxide Nanocomposite Gate Insulator.

We investigated the electrical and mechanical stability of flexible 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylehtynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) thin-film transistors (TFTs) that were fabricated on polyimide (PI) substrates using cross-linked poly(4-vinylphenol) (c-PVP) and c-PVP/yttrium oxide (Y2O3) nanocomposite films as gate insulators. Compared with the electrical characteristics of TIPS-pentacene TFTs with c-PVP insulators, the TFTs with c-PVP/Y2O3 nanocomposite insulators exhibited enhancements in the drain current and the threshold voltage due to an increase in the dielectric capacitance. In electrical stability experiments, a gradual decrease in the drain current and a negative shift in the threshold voltage occurred during prolonged bias stress tests, but these characteristic variations were comparable for both types of TFT. On the other hand, the results of mechanical bending tests showed that the characteristic degradation of the TIPS-pentacene TFTs with c-PVP/Y2O3 nanocomposite insulators was more critical than that of the TFTs with c-PVP insulators. In this study, the detrimental effect of the nanocomposite insulator on the mechanical stability of flexible TIPS-pentacene TFTs was found to be caused by physical adhesion of TIPS-pentacene molecules onto the rough surfaces of the c-PVP/Y2O3 nanocomposite insulator. These results indicate that the dielectric and morphological properties of polymeric nanocomposite insulators are significant when considering practical applications of flexible electronics operated at low voltages.

Electric Field-Responsive Mesoporous Suspensions: A Review.

This paper briefly reviews the fabrication and electrorheological (ER) characteristics of mesoporous materials and their nanocomposites with conducting polymers under an applied electric field when dispersed in an insulating liquid. Smart fluids of electrically-polarizable particles exhibit a reversible and tunable phase transition from a liquid-like to solid-like state in response to an external electric field of various strengths, and have potential applications in a variety of active control systems. The ER properties of these mesoporous suspensions are explained further according to their dielectric spectra in terms of the flow curve, dynamic moduli, and yield stress.

Facile and fast synthesis of polyaniline-coated poly(glycidyl methacrylate) core-shell microspheres and their electro-responsive characteristics.

Electro-responsive core-shell structured particles were fabricated in two steps. In the first step, a spherical and monodisperse poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) core was prepared by dispersion polymerization with an epoxy group, which was then functionalized with an amine functional group (ami-PGMA) via an epoxide-amine reaction with ethylenediamine. In the second step, a conducting polyaniline (PANI) shell was grafted onto the ami-PGMA surface via the in situ polymerization of an aniline monomer with a uniform thickness. The epoxy group on the PGMA microspheres provided a simple and fast way to react with amine functional groups without the need for a further swelling or grafting process. The morphology of the core-shell structure was confirmed by scanning election microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The electrorheological properties of the PGMA/PANI particles-based suspension were examined using a Couette-type rotational rheometer under an applied electric field. The shear stress curves were fitted to the Cho-Choi-Jhon (CCJ) model of the rheological equation of state.