Aluminum oxide free-standing thin films to enable nitrogen edge soft x-ray scattering

Ye, Dan; Rongpipi, Sintu; Litofsky, Joshua H.; Lee, Young-Min; Culp, Tyler E.; Yoo, Soonmoon; Jackson, Thomas N.; Wang, Cheng; Gomez, Esther W.; Gomez, Enrique D.

doi:10.1557/mrc.2018.195

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…RSoXS was performed on freestanding PBDBT:ITIC (1:1 by weight) blend films in transmission geometry to avoid the fluorescence background of a silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) supporting window or the need to fabricate a nitrogen‐free support like an aluminum oxide substrate. [ 42 ] Figure a,b summarizes the circularly averaged I–q curves collected at the C K‐edge and N K‐edge, respectively. For CK‐RSoXS, the blend film shows a peak with q ≈ 0.012 Å −1 ( d ≈ 52 nm, d = 2π/ q ) at 280.0 eV.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decoupling Complex Multi‐Length‐Scale Morphology in Non‐Fullerene Photovoltaics with Nitrogen K‐Edge Resonant Soft X‐ray Scattering

et al. 2021

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Complex morphology in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and other functional soft materials commonly dictates performance. Such complexity in OPVs originates from the mesoscale kinetically trapped non‐equilibrium state, which governs device charge generation and transport. Resonant soft X‐ray scattering (RSoXS) has been revolutionary in the exploration of OPV morphology in the past decade due to its chemical and orientation sensitivity. However, for non‐fullerene OPVs, RSoXS analysis near the carbon K‐edge is challenging, due to the chemical similarity of the materials used in active layers. An innovative approach is provided by nitrogen K‐edge RSoXS (NK‐RSoXS), utilizing the spatial and orientational contrasts from the cyano groups in the acceptor materials, which allows for determination of phase separation. NK‐RSoXS clearly visualizes the combined feature sizes in PM6:Y6 blends from crystallization and liquid–liquid demixing, while PM6:Y6:Y6‐BO ternary blends with reduced phase‐separation size and enhanced material crystallization can lead to current amplification in devices. Nitrogen is common in organic semiconductors and other soft materials, and the strong and directional N 1s → π* resonances make NK‐RSoXS a powerful tool to uncover the mesoscale complexity and open opportunities to understand heterogeneous systems.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decoupling Complex Multi‐Length‐Scale Morphology in Non‐Fullerene Photovoltaics with Nitrogen K‐Edge Resonant Soft X‐ray Scattering

et al. 2021

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“…RSoXS experiments have been limited near the nitrogen edge because commercially available X-ray transparent substrates are composed of silicon nitride (Si3N4) that absorbs incident X-rays and generates incoherent fluorescence. A recent study demonstrated that free-standing Al2O3 films offer higher X-ray transmittance and minimal fluorescence near the nitrogen edge 149 . RSoXS at the nitrogen edge of conjugated block copolymer thin films supported on Al2O3 substrates reveals domain spacings, which was not possible with commercially available Si3N4 substrates (at the nitrogen edge).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resonant X-ray scattering of biological assemblies

et al. 2021

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Understanding the relationship between structure and function for biological assemblies can guide identification of new therapeutics, design of biomaterials, and development of biotechnological processes. Resonant X-ray scattering provides a chemically-specific approach to characterize complex biological structures based on anomalous or resonant scattering from a specific element or chemical moiety. Anomalous or resonant diffraction can provide structural details with high atomic resolution, while resonant X-ray scattering can provide structural details with lower resolution through tender or soft X-rays. Here, we review applications, challenges, and opportunities for resonant X-ray scattering in the field of structural biology.

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“…221 Furthermore, new vacuum barrier materials beyond SiN have been explored such as AlOx, which have been shown to be more mechanically robust and more transparent at the nitrogen edge. 222 Beyond instrumentation, more quantitative analyses are needed before RSoXS truly becomes a staple technique of choice in polymer science. One significant step toward that is demonstrated in Figure 13B,C where quantitative chemical ordering of BCP nanocarrier micelles were characterized in water using the new flow-cell RSoXS instrumentation.…”

Section: Emerging Opportunities and Outlook For Rsoxsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, significant development has occurred for STXM both at the ALS, 220 and at SOLIEL in France 221 . Furthermore, new vacuum barrier materials beyond SiN have been explored such as AlOx, which have been shown to be more mechanically robust and more transparent at the nitrogen edge 222 …”

Section: Emerging Opportunities and Outlook For Rsoxsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resonant soft X‐ray scattering in polymer science

Collins

Gann

2021

Journal of Polymer Science

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Resonant soft X-ray scattering (RSoXS) is an emerging, powerful technique to probe the nano-to-mesoscale structure of polymers and other molecules. It joins together small-angle X-ray scattering (a statistical nanoprobe) with X-ray spectroscopy that brings with it unique chemical and bond-orientation sensitivity. Through over a decade of discovery and development, RSoXS is moving from a niche technique applied to organic electronic thin films to a mature tool applicable to a plethora of polymeric and molecular systems, encompassing new modalities, analyses, and simulation methods. This development promises to deliver increasingly quantitative answers to challenging questions in polymer science as well as expand its usefulness to complementary fields. This review presents a full synopsis of the technique, including background on the theoretical underpinnings, measurement best practices, and examples of recent RSoXS applications and discoveries provided here to accelerate the transition to a broader range of soft matter and polymeric fields.

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Aluminum oxide free-standing thin films to enable nitrogen edge soft x-ray scattering

Abstract: Abstract

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Decoupling Complex Multi‐Length‐Scale Morphology in Non‐Fullerene Photovoltaics with Nitrogen K‐Edge Resonant Soft X‐ray Scattering

Decoupling Complex Multi‐Length‐Scale Morphology in Non‐Fullerene Photovoltaics with Nitrogen K‐Edge Resonant Soft X‐ray Scattering

Resonant X-ray scattering of biological assemblies

Resonant soft X‐ray scattering in polymer science

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