Coating Protects Ancient Pottery IR neaSCOPE+s

Coating Protects Ancient Pottery

Neolithic Cucuteni ceramic pottery is a valuable artifact that requires proper protection to ensure its preservation for future generations. In this study, polymer nanostructured material is used as protective coatings for the conservation of such ancient artefacts against UV ageing. In the context of comparative evaluation of the protective efficiency, this article reports the use of a functional coating that operates via specific photochemical transformations at the coating-air interface as a UV resistant protection coating for cultural heritage artefacts. An important finding was related to the decrease of the carbonyl band from 1739 cm-1 and to the appearance of other two additional bands located at 1718 (saturated aliphatic ketone) and 1712 cm-1 (carboxylic acid dimer). In addition, the loss of ester groups may be considered the main degradation process, as illustrated by the decrease of the intensity and area of the 1739 cm-1 main carbonyl stretching band.

This study reports the first investigation of the photodegradation behaviour of protective coatings through nano-FTIR technique.

This measurement was realized with the IR-neaSCOPE+s.


Lamella forming PS b PMMA Films IR neaSCOPE

Lamella-forming PS-b-PMMA Films

A non-invasive, image-based analytic method utilizing s-SNOM is suggested to evaluate the phase separation behavior of lamella-forming PS-b-PMMA block copolymer films. Taking advantage of the penetrability of the tip-enhanced IR signal into the films, the spatio-spectral maps of each component are constructed. Subsequently, the effect of a sole and combinatorial applications of the self-assembly procedures, such as solvent vapour annealing (SVA) and/or thermal annealing (TA), on the spatial distribution of PS or PMMA components is quantitatively assessed in terms of the areal portions of the PS domain, PMMA domain, and the mixed zone that is adjacent to the domain border. Additionally, by statistically comparing the local concentration profiles, the chemical contrast between the domains turns out to be dependent upon the annealing procedures (namely, SVA and SVA+TA).

s-SNOM technique can pave the way to an uncomplicated but precise investigation of the polymer nanostructure-based thin film devices, whose performances are critically governed by the spatial arrangement of the chemical elements.

This measurement was realized with the IR-neaSCOPE.


Organic Semiconductors IR neaSCOPE+s

Organic Semiconductors

Semiconductors based on organic polymers have several advantages over their conventional, mostly silicon-based cousins. They are simpler and cheaper to manufacture, and can be produced in the form of thin, flexible layers, which allows them to be attached to diverse substrates and surfaces. Their electrical conductivity and energy efficiency are a function of the properties of the materials of which they are made. This degree of molecular order affects the mobility and transport of the charge carriers within them. Up until now, it has been very difficult to access these structures experimentally. s-SNOM and nano-FTIR make a valuable contribution to our understanding of these layered systems and to organic electronics in general.

s-SNOM & nano-FTIR is ideally suited for monitoring and optimize growth parameters to get highly ordered organic films and thus faster devices with crucial impact in development of optoelectronic devices such as OLED technology, or organic solar cells.

This measurement was realized with the IR-neaSCOPE+s.


E Book on Polymer Nanostructures IR neaSCOPE

E-Book on Polymer Nanostructures

Nanocomposite polymers, multilayer thin films, nanofibers and other polymer nanoforms often offer new properties or enhanced performance compared to bulk materials, demanding tools for chemical analysis with nanoscale spatial resolution for their investigations. We introduce in this e-book leading techniques for nanoscale chemical mapping and identification.

Applications covered in this e-book:

  • Nanoscale chemical identification using standard IR database,
  • IR nanoimaging of polymer films, nanoparticles & monolayers,
  • Molecular conformation and orientation in an ultrathin polymer film,
  • Hyperspectral & correlative nanoscopy of polymer composites.

This measurement was realized with the IR-neaSCOPE.

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