Thermal conductivity of nanopatterned polymer thin films

能量的释放和吸收是所有技术应用的基础，其次是温度或局部能量的变化。因此，在纳米技术、电信和能源收集等领域的众多应用中，最需要的是易于管理、成本效益高和环境友好的热管理材料。聚合物在一个参数窗口内满足这些标准，从而在上述领域实现高冲击材料。特别是，聚合物在0.1到104Wm-1K-1的大范围内可实现的导热系数主要取决于它们的取向，这使得它们成为一种很有前途的热管理材料。这项建议的目的是研究嵌段共聚(BCP)薄膜的热性能与取向和结构。BCP的微相分离将用于在纳米尺度上的精确对准。对准将由纳米压印光刻来指导，这将产生更复杂的纳米结构。此外，还将通过引入金属纳米颗粒来实现聚合物薄膜的功能化。BCP薄膜具有可控的各向异性和定向导热特性。据我们所知，图案化和功能化薄膜的这些关键研究仍然缺乏，这是拟议的项目的目标。聚合物薄膜的结构将通过电子显微镜和原子力显微镜进行分析，以局部解析所制备的结构，并在散射实验中(X射线反射率和GISAXS)，获得关于面内和面外周期性、缺陷和电子密度的全局信息。薄膜中的热传递将通过几种最先进的技术在平面内和平面外进行测量。结构和热表征的结合在纳米尺度上尤其重要，因为它们之间的联系是理解能量转移过程的核心。

The release and absorption of energy is fundamental to all technological applications, followed by changes in temperature or in local energy. Therefore, easily manageable, cost efficient and environment-friendly materials for heat management are most wanted for numerous applications in nanotechnology, telecommunication and energy harvesting. Polymers fulfil these criteria in a window of parameters that enables high impact materials in the mentioned areas. In particular, the large range of achievable thermal conductivities in polymers from 0.1 to 104 W m-1 K-1, depending primarily on their alignment, makes them a promising material for heat management. The objective of this proposal is the study of thermal properties of block copolymer (BCPs) thin films with respect to alignment and structure. The microphase separation of BCPs will be used for a precise alignment on a nano scale. Alignment will be directed by nanoimprint lithography, which results in more complex nanostructures. Further, functionalization of the polymer thin films will be achieved by the introduction of metal nanoparticles. The BCP films have the potential for controlled anisotropic and directional thermal conductivity characteristics. To our knowledge these crucial studies of patterned and functionalized thin films are still missing and are the objective of the proposed project.The structure of the polymer thin films will be analysed by electron and atomic force microscopy to resolve locally the prepared structures, and in scattering experiments (x-ray reflectivity and GISAXS), to obtain global information about in-plane and out-of-plane periodicity, defectivity and electron density. Heat transfer in the thin films will be measured in-plane and out-of-plane by several state-of-the-art techniques. The combination of structural and thermal characterization is especially important in the nano scale since their connection lies at the heart of understanding energy transfer processes.