University of Massachusetts

University of California

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Other

California Institute of Technology

The State University of New York

Postech Academy-industry Foundation

Postech Foundation

Unist-academy Industry Research Corporation

Universitat Konstanz

Unist Academy-industry

Thomas P Russell

Soojin Park

Ting Xu

Todd Emrick

Gerardo Pangilinan

Thomas Thurn-Albrecht

Jia-Yu Wang

Bokyung Kim

Sung Woo Hong

Mark Tuominen

Zachariah A Page

Yao Liu

Dong Hyun Lee

Harry A Atwater

Von H Whitley

Ullrich Steiner

Joerg Schotter

Jurgen Mlynek

Robert H Grubbs

Habib Skaff

Brett Anthony Helms

Raymond Weitekamp

Anne M Mayes

Sung Key Jang

Pallab Banerjee

Christopher Scot Daeffler

Garret M Miyake

Victoria Piunova

Sisir Yalamanchili

Jin Kon Kim

Seung Yun Yang

Rebecca Saive

Yan Xia

Benjamin R Sveinbjornsson

Colton Bukowsky

Richard Jason Jouet

Erik Sch&auml;ffer

Jodie Lutkenhaus

Caili Huang

Andrea D Warren

Anthony Dinsmore

Yao Lin

Min Soo Park

Incheol Ryu

Hwang Yong Kim

Mustafa Bal

Joseph William Forth

Andrei Ursache

Erik Schaffer

Mengmeng Cui

Anne Valerie Ruzette

Duk Man Yu

Weiyin Gu

Indu B Mishra

Javid Rzayev

Doug Hyun Lee

Jose Kenneth D Mapas

A method for preparing a stabilized assembly includes combining a first liquid phase including nanoparticles and a second, immiscible liquid phase, dissolving in the second phase a first end-functionalized polymer having a first molecular weight, and a second end-functionalized polymer having a second molecular weight, wherein the second molecular weight is greater than the first molecular weight, applying a shearing external deformation field to increase the surface area of the first phase to create a new interface, wherein the nanoparticle surfactants form a disordered, jammed assembly at the new interface, and releasing the shearing external deformation field. The polymer and the nanoparticles can interact at an interface through ligand interactions to form nanoparticle surfactants and upon releasing the external deformation field the jammed assembly at the new interface traps the first phase in a deformed state having the first liquid phase and the second liquid phase as interpenetrating domains.

Liquid bicontinuous stabilized assemblies by interfacial jamming of nanoparticles

A method of forming a microphase separated block copolymer includes exposing a block copolymer to acid vapor under conditions effective to provide the microphase separated block copolymer. The block copolymer includes a first hydrophobic block and a second hydrophobic block that is acid-sensitive. The microphase separated block copolymer includes the first hydrophobic block and a hydrophilic block derived from the second hydrophobic block. Exposing the block copolymer to the acid vapor is conducted in the solid state.

Method of forming a microphase separated block copolymer and microphase separated block copolymer

In conventional solar cells with metal contacts, a non-negligible fraction of the incoming solar power is immediately lost either through absorption or reflection upon interaction with the contacts. Effectively transparent contacts ('ETCs') for solar cells can be referred to as three-dimensional contacts designed to redirect incoming light onto a photoabsorbing surface of a solar cell. In many embodiments, the ETCs have triangular cross-sections. Such ETCs can be placed on a photoabsorbing surface such that at least one of their sides forms an angle with the photoabsorbing surface. In this configuration, the ETCs can redirect incident light onto the photoabsorbing surface, mitigating or eliminating reflection loss compared to conventional solar cells. When constructed in accordance with a number of embodiments of the invention, ETCs can be effectively transparent and highly conductive.

Fabrication processes for effectively transparent contacts

The invention provides novel hydrophilic conjugated polymers, e.g., hydrophilic poly(arylene vinylenes) or PAVs, and preparation thereof, and methods and devices for their application in photovoltaics, and the resulting improved solar cells.

Hydrophilic conjugated polymers, and methods of preparation and use thereof

The invention provides novel materials, methods and designs to enable improved power conversion efficiencies of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). In particular, the invention provides novel materials and interlayers for polymer-based solar cells. Novel functional fullerene-based interlayers are disclosed that enable high efficiency devices in conjunction with numerous active layer and electrode materials.

Functional interlayers of fullerene derivatives and applications in organic solar cells

A conjugated polymer zwitterion includes repeating units having structure (I), (II), or a combination thereof wherein Ar is independently at each occurrence a divalent substituted or unsubstituted Carylene or heteroarylene group; L is independently at each occurrence a divalent Calkylene group, Carylene or heteroarylene group, or alkylene oxide group; and Ris independently at each occurrence a zwitterion. A polymer solar cell including the conjugated polymer zwitterion is also disclosed.

Conjugated polymer zwitterions and solar cells comprising conjugated polymer zwitterions

A stabilized assembly including a first liquid phase of non-spherical droplets in a second liquid phase, wherein the second liquid phase is immiscible with the first phase, and nanoparticle surfactants assembled at an interface of the non-spherical droplets and the second phase is disclosed. The nanoparticle surfactants include nanoparticles and end-functionalized polymers that can interact through ligand type interactions, and the first phase is stabilized by a disordered, jammed layer of nanoparticle surfactants. A method of preparing a stabilized assembly is also disclosed.

Stabilizing liquid drops of arbitrary shape by the interfacial jamming of nanoparticles

A block copolymer film having a line pattern with a high degree of long-range order is formed by a method that includes forming a block copolymer film on a substrate surface with parallel facets, and annealing the block copolymer film to form an annealed block copolymer film having linear microdomains parallel to the substrate surface and orthogonal to the parallel facets of the substrate. The line-patterned block copolymer films are useful for the fabrication of magnetic storage media, polarizing devices, and arrays of nanowires.

Method of forming oriented block copolymer line patterns, block copolymer line patterns formed thereby, and their use to form patterned articles

Nanopatterned surfaces are prepared by a method that includes forming a block copolymer film on a substrate, annealing and surface reconstructing the block copolymer film to create an array of cylindrical voids, depositing a metal on the surface-reconstructed block copolymer film, and heating the metal-coated block copolymer film to redistribute at least some of the metal into the cylindrical voids. When very thin metal layers and low heating temperatures are used, metal nanodots can be formed. When thicker metal layers and higher heating temperatures are used, the resulting metal structure includes nanoring-shaped voids. The nanopatterned surfaces can be transferred to the underlying substrates via etching, or used to prepare nanodot- or nanoring-decorated substrate surfaces.

Nanopatterned articles produced using reconstructed block copolymer films

The invention provides a class of copolymers having useful properties, including brush block copolymers, wedge-type block copolymers and hybrid wedge and polymer block copolymers. In an embodiment, for example, block copolymers of the invention incorporate chemically different blocks comprising polymer size chain groups and/or wedge groups that significantly inhibit chain entanglement, thereby enhancing molecular self-assembly processes for generating a range of supramolecular structures, such as periodic nanostructures and microstructures. The present invention also provides useful methods of making and using copolymers, including block copolymers.

Rapid self-assembly of block copolymers to photonic crystals

Nanopatterned articles produced using surface-reconstructed block copolymer films

Highly-ordered block copolymer films are prepared by a method that includes forming a polymeric replica of a topographically patterned crystalline surface, forming a block copolymer film on the topographically patterned surface of the polymeric replica, and annealing the block copolymer film. The resulting structures can be used in a variety of different applications, including the fabrication of high density data storage media. The ability to use flexible polymers to form the polymeric replica facilitates industrial-scale processes utilizing the highly-ordered block copolymer films.

Self-assembly of block copolymers on topographically patterned polymeric substrates

A nanopatterned surface is prepared by forming a block copolymer film on a miscut crystalline substrate, annealing the block copolymer film, then reconstructing the surface of the annealed block copolymer film The method creates a well-ordered array of voids in the block copolymer film that is maintained over a large area. The nanopatterned block copolymer films can be used in a variety of different applications, including the fabrication of high density data storage media.

Method of producing nanopatterned articles, and articles produced thereby

A nanopatterned surface is prepared by forming a block copolymer film on a miscut crystalline substrate, annealing the block copolymer film, then reconstructing the surface of the annealed block copolymer film. The method creates a well-ordered array of voids in the block copolymer film that is maintained over a large area. The nanopatterned block copolymer films can be used in a variety of different applications, including the fabrication of high density data storage media.

Growing community of inventors

Amherst, MA, United States of America

Thomas P Russell