The synthesis and texturization processes of fluorinated surfaces by means of atmospheric plasma are investigated and presented through an integrated study of both the plasma phase and the resulting material surface. Three methods enhancing the surface hydrophobicity up to the production of super-hydrophobic surfaces are evaluated: (i) the modification of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface, (ii) the plasma deposition of fluorinated coatings and (iii) the incorporation of nanoparticles into those fluorinated films. In all the approaches, the nature of the plasma gas appears to be a crucial parameter for the desired property. Although a higher etching of the PTFE surface can be obtained with a pure helium plasma, the texturization can only be created if O2 is added to the plasma, which simultaneously decreases the total etching. The deposition of CxFy films by a dielectric barrier discharge leads to hydrophobic coatings with water contact angles (WCAs) of 115°, but only the filamentary argon discharge induces higher WCAs. Finally, nanoparticles were deposited under the fluorinated layer to increase the surface roughness and therefore produce super-hydrophobic hybrid coatings characterized by the nonadherence of the water droplet at the surface.

Ten recessive Opaque-2 (O2) alleles of independent origin were characterized at the molecular level. The results revealed a high level of polymorphism at the O2 locus. In addition, our data suggest the possible cause for the recessive character of some of the alleles investigated, and allow us to infer some conclusions concerning the degree of relationship between the o2 mutations. Comparison of genomic sequences spanning the first exon and obtained from a series of wild-type and recessive alleles revealed the presence of a hypervariable region, involving different dipeptides, in the N-terminal part of the O2 protein.

The microstructure of thin deposits of poly(3-hexylthiophene) on silicon surfaces is investigated as a function of the solution concentration, the maturation time and the solvent nature, with the aim of generating one monolayer of P3HT nanofibers on the surface. These films are then exposed to a NOPF6 solution, in order to oxidize the conjugated system and to produce conducting nanostructures. The effect of the chemical doping on the microscopic morphology and the electrical properties is analyzed on the basis of AFM and I-V measurements.

The properties of organic electronic materials in the solid-state are determined not only by those of individual molecules but also by those of ensembles of molecules. The ability to control the architectures of these ensembles is thus essential for optimising the properties of conjugated materials for use in electronic devices (light emitting diodes, field effect transistors, solar cells,…) and is primordial for potential technological applications in nanoelectronics.

Here, we report on the observation by atomic force microscopy (AFM) of 1D and 2D nanoscale architectures obtained in the solid-state from solutions of molecularly-dissolved conjugated block copolymers or oligomers, and demonstrate that the conjugated molecules can organize onto a surface over lengthscales from nanometers to several microns, forming semiconducting fibrils by π-stacking processes.

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and related techniques are used to investigate the morphology of diblock copolymers. We focus on compounds containing a conjugated segment, polyparaphenylene, associated to a polymethylmethacrylate or a polystyrene block. The influence of the presence of the conjugated segment on the microdomain morphology is analyzed as a function of chain composition. Separate microdomains are observed on the surface of thin films by means of phase-detection imaging tapping-mode AFM. Their shape and size are interpreted in terms of molecular aggregation, with the help of molecular dynamics calculations.

Conducting polymer composites, that consist of a conducting filler randomly distributed throughout an insulating polymer or polymer blend, attract interest in several application fields such as sensors or electromagnetic radiation shielding. The macroscopic electrical resistivity of the filled polyblend strongly depends on the localization of the filler. Here, we investigate the morphology of Carbon Black (CB)-filled polymer blends in order to determine the parameters governing the selective localization of CB in one phase of the blend components or at the interface between the components. The dispersion of the CB particles in the polymer blend is observed by means of Lateral Force Microscopy (LFM) as a function of the blend composition and the load in C.B. The selective localization of CB at the interface enables the reduction of the percolation threshold down to 0.5 wt%; as a result, the mechanical properties of the polymer blend can be fully retained. Different techniques can be used to locate the CB at the interface; we compare their efficiency experimentally.

Atomic Force Microscopy with Phase Detection Imaging is used to study the surface microdomain morphology of thick (i.e., ca. 2 mm) films of triblock copolymers, such as polymethylmethacrylate - block - polybutadiene - block - polymethylmethacrylate copolymers prepared by a well-taylored two-step sequential copolymerization promoted by a 1,3-diisopropenylbenzene based difunctional anionie initiator. By means of this new scanning probe microscopy technique, it is shown that the surface exhibits a segregated microphase structure, corresponding to the different types of components predicted theoretically by thermodynamic processes. We investigate the relationships between the size and characteristics of the microdomain structure as a function of the molecular parameters of the constituent polymers. Our data illustrate the interest of Phase Detection Imaging in the elucidation of surface phase separation in block copolymers.

Thin copper films are deposited onto glass and irradiated, in air, by means of a scanned Ar+ laser beam. The kinetics of oxidation are measured by an interferometric method. The laser-synthesized oxide films are characterized by optical microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and optical spectroscopy. It is shown that the oxidation kinetics, as well as the structural and optical properties of the oxide, depend on the laser beam power and on the initial thickness of the copper film. It is argued that these facts are related to the thermal history of the samples under laser irradiation.