Investigating Polymer–Metal Interfaces by Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering from Gradients to Real-Time Studies
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Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestraße 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany
2
KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Mikael S. Hedenqvist
Nanomaterials 2016, 6(12), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6120239
Received: 15 November 2016
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Revised: 6 December 2016
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Accepted: 7 December 2016
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Published: 10 December 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Polymer-Based Nanocomposites)
Tailoring the polymer–metal interface is crucial for advanced material design. Vacuum deposition methods for metal layer coating are widely used in industry and research. They allow for installing a variety of nanostructures, often making use of the selective interaction of the metal atoms with the underlying polymer thin film. The polymer thin film may eventually be nanostructured, too, in order to create a hierarchy in length scales. Grazing incidence X-ray scattering is an advanced method to characterize and investigate polymer–metal interfaces. Being non-destructive and yielding statistically relevant results, it allows for deducing the detailed polymer–metal interaction. We review the use of grazing incidence X-ray scattering to elucidate the polymer–metal interface, making use of the modern synchrotron radiation facilities, allowing for very local studies via in situ (so-called “stop-sputter”) experiments as well as studies observing the nanostructured metal nanoparticle layer growth in real time.
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Keywords:
polymer–metal interfaces; nanocomposites; nanostructure formation; sputter deposition; polymer template; X-ray scattering; grazing incidence X-ray scattering; in situ; growth kinetics
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MDPI and ACS Style
Schwartzkopf, M.; Roth, S.V. Investigating Polymer–Metal Interfaces by Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering from Gradients to Real-Time Studies. Nanomaterials 2016, 6, 239. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6120239
AMA Style
Schwartzkopf M, Roth SV. Investigating Polymer–Metal Interfaces by Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering from Gradients to Real-Time Studies. Nanomaterials. 2016; 6(12):239. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6120239
Chicago/Turabian StyleSchwartzkopf, Matthias, and Stephan V. Roth. 2016. "Investigating Polymer–Metal Interfaces by Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering from Gradients to Real-Time Studies" Nanomaterials 6, no. 12: 239. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano6120239
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