The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 15, 2011
Filed:
Jan. 14, 2009
Rudiger Schlaf, Tampa, FL (US);
Rudiger Schlaf, Tampa, FL (US);
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL (US);
Abstract
A method of forming a smooth thin film on a substrate within a short deposition time, the method comprising introducing ionic substances (salts, acids, bases) to a polymeric solution to be sprayed. These ions attach to the polymer strands in solution, increasing their charge to mass ratio. This results in mutual repulsion of the strands during the spray process and produces a smooth film, even at relatively high polymeric solution concentrations. A side effect of this process is the introduction of impurities (the added ions) to the polymer thin film. The proper choice of ionic compound allows a dissolution step to be used to 'clean' the polymer film after deposition, using the solubility characteristics of the thin film versus the ionic compound.