Eric D. Laird

Polymer single crystal-decorated superhydrophobic buckypaper with controlled wetting and conductivity.

Herein we report fabrication of uniform, free-standing nanohybrid buckypaper with high carbon nanotube (CNT) contents (13-70%) using polymer single crystal-decorated CNTs as the precursor. Polyethylene single crystals were periodically grown on CNT surfaces, forming a nanohybrid shish kebab (NHSK) structure. Vacuum filtering a NHSK suspension led to polymer single crystal-decorated buckypaper (named as NHSK paper) with a wide range of CNT contents and uniform CNT dispersion. Porosity, surface roughness, and conductivity of NHSK paper can be controlled by tuning the polymer single crystal size. Because of the hierarchical roughness created by intra- and inter-NHSK nanostructure, NHSK paper with controlled kebab size exhibits both superhydrophobicity and high surface water adhesion, which mimics the rose petal effect. We anticipate that this unique NHSK paper can find applications in sensors, electrochemical devices, and coatings.

Fluorination of Epitaxial Oxides: Synthesis of Perovskite Oxyfluoride Thin Films

While the synthesis of ABO3 perovskite films has enabled new strategies to control the functionality of this material class, the chemistries that have been realized in thin film form constitute only a fraction of those accessible to bulk chemists. Here, we report the synthesis of oxyfluoride films, where the incorporation of F may provide a new means to tune physical properties in thin films by modifying electronic structure. Fluorination is achieved by spin coating a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) solution onto oxygen-deficient films. The film/polymer bilayer is then annealed, promoting the diffusion of F into the film. We have used this method to synthesize SrFeO(3-α)Fγ films, as confirmed by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy.

Tuning periodicity of polymer-decorated carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotube (CNT) is one of the most extensively investigated nanomaterials. Patterning soft matter such as liquid crystals and polymers on CNTs could potentially enable various applications for CNTs. We have demonstrated that controlled polymer crystallization using CNTs as the 1D nucleation sites can lead to periodically functionalized CNTs. Here we show that selected crystalline block copolymers can be periodically decorated along CNTs. This facile technique opens a gateway to periodic patterning on 1-D nanomaterials.