Mark E. Gross

High rate vacuum deposition of polymer electrolytes

Two new, high rate, vacuum processes have been developed for the deposition of polymer electrolyte layers on wide web substrates. One method involves the vacuum extrusion of monomer salt solutions followed by e‐beam or ultraviolet (UV) curing. The second method involves the vacuum flash evaporation of the monomer salt solution followed by e‐beam or UV curing. Each method is compatible with simultaneous, in‐line, deposition by conventional processes like sputtering or evaporation in a wide web system. Optically clear polymer electrolyte layers may be deposited at line speeds in excess of 100 meters per minute with these new techniques. Ionic conductivity measurements will be presented for vacuum deposited, evaporated and extruded, polymer electrolyte layers. Films were deposited with thicknesses ranging from 2 to 50 μm. Application of these methods to ongoing electrochromic and battery work at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory will be discussed.

Ultrahigh rate, wide area, plasma polymerized films from high molecular weight/low vapor pressure liquid or solid monomer precursors

A new process has been developed for the high rate vacuum deposition of solid films from high molecular weight/low vapor pressure liquid, or even solid, monomer precursors. The gas resulting from the flash evaporation of a liquid monomer mixture or from a suspension of liquid monomer and insoluble solid particles is used as the support medium for a glow discharge in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition-like process. Due to the high molecular weight/low vapor pressure nature of the precursors, the plasma of the flash evaporated gas cryocondenses at an extremely high rate on substrates at ambient, and higher, temperatures. Upon condensation the liquefied plasma immediately begins to polymerize to form a solid film due to the high concentration of radicals and ions contained in the liquid film. The process has been successfully implemented in a vacuum roll coating system in a roll-to-roll deposition process. Polymer films and molecularly doped polymer composite films of polymer and light emitting orga...

Vacuum-deposited polymer/silver reflector material

Weatherable, low cost, front surface, solar reflectors on flexible substrates would be highly desirable for lamination to solar concentrator panels. The method to be described in this paper may permit such reflector material to be fabricated for less the 50

Multifunctional multilayer optical coatings

CNT per square foot. Vacuum deposited Polymer/Silver/Polymer reflectors and Fabry-Perot interference filters were fabricated in a vacuum web coating operation on polyester substrates. Reflectivities were measured in the wavelength range from .4 micrometers to .8 micrometers . It is hoped that a low cost substrate can be used with the substrate laminated to the concentrator and the weatherable acrylic polymer coating facing the sun. This technique should be capable of deposition line speeds approaching 1500 linear feet/minute2. Central to this technique is a new vacuum deposition process for the high rate deposition of polymer films. This polymer process involves the flash evaporation of an acrylic monomer onto a moving substrate. The monomer is subsequently cured by an electron beam or ultraviolet light. This high speed polymer film deposition process has been named the PML process- for Polymer Multi- Layer.

Reflective coatings for large‐area solar concentrators

Multilayer optical coatings which heated and defogged the substrate, provided permeation barriers to water and air, and controlled emittance have been developed. All coatings were deposited by reactive dc and rf magnetron sputtering, and the polymer multilayer process being developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The three coatings discussed in this article were applied to flexible and rigid substrates with diameters up to 28 cm. Fourteen-layers SiO2/Si3N4/TiO2/Ag coatings were applied to surveillance camera lenses to reject at least two laser wavelengths, defog the lens, and provide a high transmission notch at the operating wavelengths. The coatings were able to heat the substrates at a rate of 16u2009°C/min at relatively modest power inputs of 2 W/cm2. The second coating had eight Cr/Si3N4 layers, and absorbed strongly at the 1.06 μm laser wavelength and emitted strongly in the 3–5 μm wavelength band. This coating was used in infrared displays. The last coating was a 15-layer polymer Al2O3 perm...

Coatings for large-area low-cost solar concentrators and reflectors

Reflective/protective coatings were applied to pre‐formed 2.5‐m‐long solar concentrator panels by the magnetron sputtering process. Low‐cost manufacturing processes such as hydrostatic forming of aluminum solar concentrator panels are needed to keep the costs of domestic power generation low. Without treatment, the specular reflectance of the aluminum panels was less than 20%. As expected, silver (Ag) and aluminum (Al) coatings applied directly over the untreated panels did not significantly increase specular reflectance. To provide a specular base surface, approximately 100‐μm‐thick urethane layers were applied to the panels before deposition of the reflective coating. This smoothing layer filled in scratches and defects. Reflective Ag and Al layers, with protective overcoats of Al2O3 and Si3N4, were deposited onto the urethane‐coated panels by reactive magnetron sputtering with ion assist in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s 3 m coating chamber. The specular reflectance of the panels increased to ...

Encapsulated display devices

Large-optics coating facilities and processes at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) that were used to develop large-area high-performance laser mirrors for SDIO are now being used to fabricate a variety of optical components for commercial clients, and for novel applications for other DoD clients. Emphasis of this work is on technology transfer of low-cost coating processes and equipment to private clients. Much of the technology transfer is being accomplished through the CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) process funded by the Department of Energy (DOE).