Lidija Slemenik Perše

Relation between colour- and phase changes of a leuco dye-based thermochromic composite

Reversible colour change of leuco dye-based composites is in general closely related to their phase change, thus the two phenomena should occur at around the same temperature and should be influenced similarly. However, spatial confinement of the analysed sample affects the change in colour differently compared to its phase transition and the most pronounced effects can be observed during cooling. The bulk composite is coloured while still liquid and the colour hysteresis does not exhibit a loop. In an open-porous medium the colouration coincides well with the crystallization and the colour hysteresis widens to about 4 °C. Microencapsulated composite exhibits two crystallization processes, one of them taking place at the bulk crystallization temperature and the other one at about 20 °C lower. Under such conditions the composite is coloured just before the onset of the second crystallization, i.e. about 15 °C below crystallization in the bulk, and the corresponding colour hysteresis widens to 18 °C. The two crystallization forms are thermally independent and have the same crystalline structure. These effects should be taken into account when designing future applications where the phase-changing materials are implemented.

Raman spectroscopy of fluoropolymer conformal coatings on electronic boards

Fluoropolymer conformal coatings were applied to electronic boards (EBs) and cured at room temperature or 80°C. The coatings were first deposited on model substrate, i.e. aluminium alloy AA 2024 and tested for their anticorrosion properties with a potentiodynamic polarisation technique. The cathodic current densities ranged from 10−9–10−10 A/cm2, approaching the lower current limit after the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles into the formulation. Application of fluoropolymer-based formulation was performed via spray-coating deposition. Examination of the coverage of EBs under UV light, which is commonly used in industry, revealed that some components might not be entirely covered. In the search for other possible analytical tools of coverage with protective coatings, optical microscopy and confocal Raman spectroscopy were investigated.