The Losego PUMP Lab
Pneumatic actuators and manifolds
Power converters24 VDC (wide)5 VDC (thin)
Control cards
Inside a pneumatic control box
Temperature Controllers
Solid State Relays
Fuse-blocks
Inside a temperature control box
Homemade reactor is capable of both atomic layer deposition (ALD) and vapor phase infiltration (VPI). Gate valves (shown in red in diagram above) can hold precursor gases inside the main chamber.
LabVIEW software communicates with pneumatic control box, which sends air pressure signals to valves.
Thermocouples work in conjunction with temperature control boxes.
Reactor Design & Construction Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Vapor Phase Infiltration (VPI)Sorption
Precursor Molecule
Diffusion
Entrapment
VaporPolymer
1
2
3
4
Vapor Phase Infiltration
Substrate
Purge Gas
Polymer
Precursor Gas
Precursor Infiltration
Substrate
Purge Gas
PrecursorEntrapment
Substrate
Reactant Gas
Co-reactant Infiltration
Substrate
2 cmExterior Fibers
2 cmInterior Fibers
b
c
3 cm
a
Treated
Untreated
We are able to convert cellulosic fibers from hydrophilic to hydrophobic using a single exposure cycle that takes < 1 min.
This effect is irrespective of the celluloseโs form factor because gaseous precursors can diffuse everywhere!
(a) Cotton (b) Paper (c) Denim (d) Cardboard
Depth of Polymer Transformed
1 nm 10 ยตm
Appl
icat
ion
Spac
e
ICsTextiles
Films
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
= ๐ท๐ท๐๐2๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ2
t โฅ 0
Nonporous Substrate
Infiltrated Polymer Film
Precursor Gas๐ฅ๐ฅ = 0,
๐๐ = ๐๐max
๐ฅ๐ฅ = ๐ฟ๐ฟ,๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ
= 0
Cellulose(Cotton)
Al2O3 Conformal surface coating of alumina on cotton fiber
Mathematical modeling can help guide experiments of different depths and chemistries.
Mathematical solutions of Fickโs Second Law:TMA reacts with PMMA:
SEM & EDX indicate aluminum inside PMMA film: Al+ profile in PMMA from SIMS: Film swelling measured by ellipsometry: Precursor: Trimethylaluminum (TMA)
C=O stretching
Polymer: Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)
Applications of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials Vapor phase infiltration is a process that can alter the mechanical, chemical, and optical properties of a polymer. The created organicโinorganic hybrid material can be used in fields including:
โข Microelectronics โข Energy Storageโข Smart Fabrics
This research was inspired by observing color changes over time of VPI treated polyethylene terephthalate.
Trimethylaluminum (TMA)
Oxidant:
Water
Precursor:
Vapor Phase Infiltration (VPI)
After VPIBefore VPI
Al
Me
Me MeO
H H
Characterization of AlOx-Polyester Hybrid Fabrics
450145024503450
ABSO
RBAN
CE
WAVENUMBER (CM-1)
FTIR BEFORE STORAGE AlOx infiltated control
0
1
2
3
350 450 550
ABSO
RBAN
CE
WAVELENGTH (NM)
UV-VIS BEFORE STORAGE
AlOx infiltratedcontrol
SEM/EDX AlOx-Polyester 140 ยฐC
Carb
on
Oxy
gen
Alum
inum
AlOx / Polymer of Intrinsic Microporosity 1
Hybrid Membranes for Chemical Separations
PIM-1 Membranes Separation Performance
PIM-1 in Ethanol
PIM-1 in n-HeptanePIM-1 in Toluene
AlOx/PIM-1 in n-Heptane, Tol, EtOH, and THF
*PIM-1 dissolves in Tetrahydrofuran
Functionalized Cellulose
1) In an aqueous environment, water molecules bind to the CNFs, forming water โcagesโ around the cellulosic chains, disrupting the cellulose-cellulose hydrogen bonds and replacing them with water-cellulose hydrogen bonds.
2) We find that the M-OH terminations lead to stronger ion-induced dipole interactions between Al and OH groups compared to the interactions between two hydroxyls on pure cellulose.
Cellulose Nanofibers
Phenomenological Understanding of Material Processes