Dapor, M., Masters, R., Ross, I. et al. (9 more authors) (2018) Secondary electron spectra of semi-crystalline polymers – a novel polymer characterisation tool? Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena, 222. pp. 95-105. ISSN 0368-2048
Abstract
The nano-scale dispersion of ordered/disordered phases in semi-crystalline polymers can strongly influence their performance e.g. in terms of mechanical properties and/or electronic properties. However, to reveal the latter in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) often requires invasive sample preparation (etching of amorphous phase), because SEM usually exploits topographical contrast or yield differences between different materials. However, for pure carbon materials the secondary spectra were shown to differ substantially with increased order/disorder. The aims here is to gain an understanding of the shape of secondary electron spectrum (SES) of a widely used semi-crystalline polymer regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl), commonly known as P3HT, and its links to the underlying secondary electron emission mechanisms so SES can be exploited for the mapping the nanomorphology. The comparison of simulated and experimental SES shows an excellent agreement, revealing a peak (at about 0.8eV) followed by a broad shoulder (between 2eV and 4.5eV) with respective relative intensities reflecting order/disorder.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 Elsevier. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number LEVERHULME TRUST (THE) VP1-2014-011 ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL (EPSRC) EP/N008065/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 24 Aug 2017 14:48 |
Last Modified: | 03 Nov 2023 16:15 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.elspec.2017.08.001 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:120508 |