Superlattice Epitaxy of Vinylidene Fluoride/Trifluoroethylene Copolymer Crystals on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite(Condensed matter: structure and mechanical and thermal properties)

Vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethylene (VDF/TrFE) copolymer crystals were grown from the dilute solution on cleaved (0001) surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). Using transmission electron microscopy, the orientational relation between the copolymer crystals and cleaved (0001) surface of HOPG is clarified, as well as the supperlattice matching. Electron diffraction (ED) patterns with 6-fold symmetry were observed for the copolymer crystals with VDF molar contents of 59, 65, and 71%. It suggests that a rectangular array of (20\bar1) plane for the high-temperature phase (HP) of the copolymer crystal faces HOPG(0001) plane, from which the molecular chains tilt by 46.7°. The ED pattern with such 6-fold symmetry is attributed to superposition of diffractions from the HP crystallites with three different orientations on HOPG. Such results suggest that epitaxial growth of HP occurred and it was frozen or stabilized even at room temperature due to epitaxial effect or interaction between copolymer m...

[1]  T. Itoh,et al.  Freezing of High-Temperature Phase in Vinylidene Fluoride/Trifluoroethylene Copolymer Crystals on Vacuum-Evaporated Metal Surfaces , 2007 .

[2]  C. Teichert,et al.  Organic thin films grown by hot wall epitaxy on inorganic substrates , 2005 .

[3]  Y. Takenaka,et al.  Interface structure of epitaxial polyethylene crystal grown on HOPG and MoS2 substrates , 2004 .

[4]  Hongwei Qu,et al.  Surface structure of ultrathin copolymer films of ferroelectric vinylidene fluoride (70%) with trifluoroethylene (30%) on graphite , 2004 .

[5]  D. Vesely,et al.  Epitaxial nucleation of crystallization at polymer–filler interfaces , 2001, Journal of microscopy.

[6]  A. Kubono,et al.  STRUCTURES OF VINYLIDENE FLUORIDE OLIGOMER THIN FILMS ON ALKALI HALIDE SUBSTRATE , 1999 .

[7]  M. Fujita,et al.  A TEM study on polyoxymethylene edge-on lamellae crystallized epitaxially on alkali halides , 1999 .

[8]  H. Shibata,et al.  Phase-Transitional Behavior in Vinylidene Fluoride-Trifluoroethylene Copolymer Crystals under Elevated Pressures , 1998 .

[9]  A. Thierry,et al.  Epitaxial Crystallization and AFM Investigation of a Frustrated Polymer Structure: Isotactic Poly(propylene), β Phase , 1998 .

[10]  Hari Singh Nalwa,et al.  Ferroelectric Polymers : Chemistry: Physics, and Applications , 1995 .

[11]  Satoshi Kunimura,et al.  Epitaxial Crystal Growth of Polyvinylidene Fluoride on Ionic Crystals and One-Axially-Oriented Polymer Surfaces , 1994 .

[12]  N. Murthy,et al.  Structure and properties of talc-filled polyethylene and nylon 6 films , 1986 .

[13]  A. J. Lovinger.  Polymorphic transformations in ferroelectric copolymers of vinylidene fluoride induced by electron irradiation , 1985 .

[14]  K. Tashiro,et al.  Structural study on ferroelectric phase transition of vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene copolymers (III) dependence of transitional behavior on VDF molar content , 1984 .

[15]  Masamichi Kobayashi,et al.  Structure and ferroelectric phase transition of vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene copolymers: 2. VDF 55% copolymer , 1984 .

[16]  A. J. Lovinger,et al.  Crystallographic changes characterizing the Curie transition in three ferroelectric copolymers of vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene: 2. Oriented or poled samples , 1983 .

[17]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  Epitaxial morphologies of polyoxymethylene. I. Electron microscopy , 1982 .

[18]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  Epitaxial morphologies of polyoxymethylene. II. Deposition energetics on alkali halide (001) surfaces , 1982 .

[19]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  The energetics of the epitaxial deposition of polyethylene onto the basal plane (0001) of graphite , 1982 .

[20]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  Fold-Plane Epitaxial Crystallization of Poly(oxymethylene) on Mica , 1980 .

[21]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  The epitaxial crystallization of macromolecules , 1978 .

[22]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  Theory of the epitaxial crystallization of polymers on alkali halide substrates. II. Polyoxymethylene and polythiomethylene , 1975 .

[23]  E. Baer,et al.  Epitaxial crystallization of polyethylene , 1974 .

[24]  A. Hopfinger,et al.  Molecular energetics of the epitaxial crystallization of polyethylene on alkali halide substrates , 1973 .

[25]  F. Tuinstra,et al.  Epitaxial crystallization of polyethylene on graphite , 1970 .

[26]  J. Willems,et al.  Über die orientierte Aufwachsung von Polyäthylen auf Steinsalz , 1957, Experientia.