Search

In this article, we report on the optical properties of Bismuth doped Epoxy Novolak Resin (ENR) co-doped with Dysprosium, Cerium, and Yttrium ions. The polymer layers containing 1.0 to 20.0 at % of Bismuth were fabricated by spin-coating onto silicon or quartz substrates. The properties of the material were studied using several methods with special regards to its potential utilization in photonics devices. Transmission spectra were taken in the range from 350 to 1600 nm, while photoluminescence spectra around 1300 nm were recorded by using excitation of semiconductor lasers operating at 808 nm and at 980 nm (Ex = 250 mW). Optical properties of the samples were evaluated on the bases of the concentration of the Bismuth ions as well as on the concentrations of the co-doping ions and showed close relations between concentration of the dopants and intensity of the luminescence band at 1300 nm. Our results proved that the Bismuth doped ENR has a strong potential for application in active photonics structures, as it has excellent optical properties and very easy and not demanding fabrication procedures. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012

Phase separation of block copolymer films is a perspective technique for the creation of nanostructured templates. The phase separation can be induced by thermal or vapor solvent annealing. However, a standardized and reproducible technique of the phase separation is still missing, even though many papers describing various experimental conditions. In this article we have tried to develop standardized and reproducible technique of the phase separation, which can be easily scaled up. For this purpose we used the combination of the thermal and vapor annealing of poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) copolymer films on a glass substrate under static conditions. The technique was tailored by the choice of optimal solvent for the vapor annealing, based on the solvent–polymer interaction. Finally, the films were reconstructed by immersing in methanol or ethanol and stretching of the P4VP component during the reconstruction was investigated by the angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Morphology of the films was investigated by the atomic force microscopy and confocal microscopy. The kinetics of the phase separation was also studied. The presented combined technique of the thermal and vapor annealing can be easily temperature-controlled for reproducibly obtaining the films of a desired morphology. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41853.

In this article, we report on the optical properties of bismuth ions doped epoxy novolak resin (ENR). The polymer layers containing 1–20 at. % of bismuth were fabricated by spin coating onto silicon or quartz substrates. The properties of the material were studied using several methods with special regards to its potential utilization in photonics devices. Absorption spectra were taken in the range from 350 to 800 nm. Optical band gap Eg was determined from the absorption coefficient values using Tauc's procedure, i.e., from the relationship αhv = A(hv − Eg)2 and the obtained values varied from 2.94 to 3.23 eV depending on the amount of bismuth ions involved in the samples. Photoluminescence spectra around 1300 nm were recorded by using excitation of semiconductor lasers operating at 808 nm (Ex = 500 mW). Optical properties of bismuth-doped ENR were evaluated on the bases of the concentration of the bismuth ions involved in the samples and showed, e.g., close relations between concentration of the dopants and intensity of the luminescence band at 1300 nm. IR spectra showed only negligible changes in the original substrate resin. Our results proved that the bismuth-doped ENR have a potential for utilization in photonic devices. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010