Grazing incident small angle x-ray scattering study of polymer thin films with embedded ordered nanometer cells

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Materials Science
• Surface Science

Background:

• Analysis of nanostructures, particularly embedded ones in thin films, is crucial for nanotechnology advancements.
• Grazing incident small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) is a powerful technique for probing embedded nanostructures.
• Quantitative analysis of GISAXS patterns can be challenging due to complex surface and interface phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze nanocellular thin films prepared using a block copolymer template and carbon dioxide (CO(2)).
• To investigate the structure and arrangement of CO(2) "bubbles" within the CO(2)-philic block domains.
• To demonstrate the utility of GISAXS combined with distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA) for quantitative analysis of embedded nanostructures.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of nanocellular thin films using block copolymer templating and CO(2).
• Analysis using Grazing Incident Small Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS) under optimized incident angles.
• Quantitative simulation of scattering patterns using the Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA).

Main Results:

• GISAXS measurements successfully probed the nanocellular thin film structure.
• DWBA simulations provided quantitative insights into the nanocell morphology and arrangement.
• The nanocells were identified as spherical and arranged in a single layer of a hexagonal lattice.
• The nanocells were confirmed to be embedded within CO(2)-philic block domains.

Conclusions:

• GISAXS, when combined with DWBA and optimized geometry, is effective for quantitative analysis of embedded nanostructures.
• The prepared nanocellular thin films exhibit well-defined spherical nanocells in a hexagonal arrangement.
• This study highlights a robust method for characterizing complex nanostructures within thin films.