Abstract
Poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/polystyrene composites were prepared through simple radical polymerization of N-vinylcarbazole in the presence of polystyrene. Honeycomb-patterned composite thin films were fabricated by casting the composite solutions under humid conditions. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the resulting honeycomb pattern on the composites show a higher regular structure compared to those of films prepared from the poly(N-vinylcarbazole) homopolymer. The pressure-area isotherms and photoelectrochemical behaviors of the patterned films were also observed. The photoconductivity of the patterned thin films increased with increasing poly(N-vinylcarbazole) concentration. This enhancement is attributed to the effects of the honeycomb structures and the charge transfer across the donor/acceptor hybrid interface in the composite films.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Erdogan B, Song LL, Wilson JN, Park JO, Srinivasarao M, Bunz UHF (2004) Permanent bubble arrays from a cross-linked Poly(para-phenyleneethynylene): picoliter holes without microfabrication. J Am Chem Soc 126:3678–3679
Wan LS, Li JW, Ke BB, Xu ZK (2012) Ordered microporous membranes templated by breath figures for size-selective separation. J Am Chem Soc 134:95–98
Hedrick JL, Miller RD, Hawker CJ, Carter KR, Volksen W, Yoon DY, Trollsås M (1998) Templating nanoporosity in thin-film dielectric insulators. Adv Mater 10:1049–1053
Jiang P, Hwang KS, Mittleman DM, Bertone JF, Colvin VL (1999) Template-directed preparation of macroporous polymers with oriented and crystalline arrays of voids. J Am Chem Soc 121:11630–11637
Ostuni E, Chen CS, Ingber DE, Whitesides GM (2001) Selective deposition of proteins and cells in arrays of microwells. Langmuir 17:2828–2834
Yong TH, Lin CW, Cheng LP, Hsieh CC (2001) Preparation of EVAL membranes with smooth and particulate morphologies for neuronal culture. Biomaterials 22(13):1771–1777
Manz A, Becker H (eds) (1998) Microsystem technology in chemistry and life science. Springer, Berlin
Silverstein MS, Cameron NR, Hillmyer MA (2011) In: Porous polymers. Wiley-VCH, New Jersey
Wehrspohn RB (2005) Ordered porous nanostructures and applications. Springer, New York
Cai Y, Newby BZ (2009) Porous polymer films templated by marangoni flow-Induced water droplet arrays. Langmuir 25:7638–7645
Widawski G, Rawiso B, Francois B (1994) Self-organized honeycomb morphology of star-polymer polystyrene films. Nature 369:387–389
Pitois O, Francois B (1999) Formation of ordered micro-porous membranes. Eur Phys J B 8:225–231
Bunz UHF (2006) Breath figures as a dynamic templating method for polymers and nanomaterials. Adv Mater 18:973–989
Stenzel MH, Barner-Kowollik C, Davis TP (2006) Formation of honeycomb-structured, porous films via breath figures with different polymer architectures. J Polym Sci A 44:2363–2375
Malinauskas A, Malinauskiene J, Ramanavicius A (2005) Conducting polymer-based nanostructurized materials: electrochemical aspects. Nanotechnology 16:R51–R62
Pennwell RC, Gangully BN, Smith TW (1978) Poly(N-vinylcarbazole): a selective review of its polymerization, structure, properties, and electrical characteristics. J Polym Sci 13:63–160
D’Angelo P, Barra M, Cassinese A, Maglione MG, Vacca P, Minarini C, Rubino A (2007) Electrical transport properties characterization of PVK (poly N-vinylcarbazole) for electroluminescent devices applications. Solid-State Electron 51:123–129
Heng L, Zhai J, Zhao Y, Xu J, Sheng X, Jiang L (2006) Enhancement of photocurrent generation by honeycomb structures in organic thin films. ChemPhysChem 7:2520–2525
Ryttel A (1998) Copolymerization of styrene with N-vinylcarbazole in selected organic solvents. J Appl Polym Sci 67:715–721
Maul J, Frushour BG, Kontoff JR, Eichenauer H, Ott KH (2000) Polystyrene and styrene copolymers. In: Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Wiley-VCH, Weinheim
Yoon SJ, Chun H, Lee MS, Kim N (2009) Preparation of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) nanoparticles by emulsion polymerization and PVK hollow particles. Synth Met 159:518–522
Kim BS, Basavaraja C, Jo EA, Kim DG, Huh DS (2010) Effect of amphiphilic copolymer containing ruthenium tris(bipyridyl) photosensitizer on the formation of honeycomb-patterned film. Polymer 51:3365–3371
Kaczmarek H, Felczak A, Szalla A (2008) Studies of photochemical transformations in polystyrene and styrenemaleic anhydride copolymer. Polym Degrad Stab 93:1259–1266
Zan L, Tian L, Liu Z, Peng Z (2004) A new polystyrene-TiO2 nanocomposite film and its photocatalytic degradation. J Appl Catal A 264:237–242
Shang J, Chai M, Zhu Y (2003) Solid-phase photocatalytic degradation of polystyrene plastic with TiO2 as photocatalyst. J Solid State Chem 174:104–110
Kang YO, Choi SH, Gopalan A, Lee KP, Kang HD, Song YS (2006) One-pot synthesis of a few nanocomposites with poly(N-vinylcarbazole) and CdS, Ag, Pd50-Ag50, and Pt50-Ru50 nanoparticles with γ irradiation. J Appl Polym Sci 100:1809–1815
Basavaraja C, Jo EA, Huh DS (2011) Fabrication and transport properties of poly(N-vinylcarbazole)-cellulose triacetate Langmuir–Schaefer films. Polym Compos 32:79–86
Suzuki M, Wilkie CA (2005) The thermal degradation of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene terpolymer as studied by TGA/FTIR. Polym Degrad Stab 47:217–221
Kim DG, Basavaraja C, Yamaguchi T, Huh DS (2012) Photo-controlled fabrication of self-organized structures in honeycomb-patterned thin films with light-sensitive amphiphilic copolymer. Polymer. doi:10.1016/j.polymer.2012.01.035
Basavaraja C, Kim WJ, Kim DG, Thin PX, Huh DS (2011) Enhanced surface morphology and transport property of poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/gold nanocomposite Langmuir–Schaefer films. Polym Compos 32:1077–1085
Bertoncello P, Notargiacomo A, Nicolini C (2004) Synthesis, fabrication and characterization of poly[3-3′(vinylcarbazole)] (PVK) Langmuir–Schaefer films. Polymer 45:1659–1664
Bertoncello P, Notargiacomo A, Erokhin V, Nicolini C (2006) Functionalization and photoelectrochemical characterization of poly[3-3′(vinylcarbazole)] multi-walled carbon nanotube (PVK-MWNT) Langmuir–Schaefer films. Nanotechnology 17:699–705
Acknowledgment
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (2011-0025853).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thinh, P.X., Basavaraja, C., Kim, D.G. et al. Characterization and electrochemical behaviors of honeycomb-patterned poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/polystyrene composite films. Polym. Bull. 69, 81–94 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-012-0727-9
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-012-0727-9