Department of Physics, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur, Tamil Nadu, 610005, India.
Eur Phys J E Soft Matter. 2023 Apr 1;46(4):25. doi: 10.1140/epje/s10189-023-00282-x.
Studies show that the formation of breath figures over polystyrene is not clearly understood-sometimes the patterns are regular and sometimes they are barely formed. In an attempt to understand this process a little more, breath figures over polystyrene of three molecular weights and on the smooth and grooved DVD surfaces are prepared and studied. The microporous films are prepared by the evaporation of the chloroform solution of the polymers in a humid environment. The thus formed breath figure patterns are studied under a confocal laser scanning microscope and the images are analyzed. Breath figures were formed for (a) three molecular weights of the polymer (b) two casting techniques, and (c) on smooth and grooved surfaces (of a commercial DVD). The wetting of the breath figures formed by water is also reported here. The pore diameters were found to increase with increase in molecular weight and also with concentration of the polymer used. Only drop-casting method yield breath figures. Voronoi entropy, calculated from the images, indicates ordered pores on the grooved surface compared to smooth surfaces. Contact angle studies indicate a hydrophobic nature of the polymer, with the hydrophobicity increasing by the patterning.
研究表明，聚苯乙烯上的呼吸图案的形成还没有被清楚地理解——有时图案是规则的，有时几乎没有形成。为了更深入地了解这一过程，我们准备并研究了三种分子量的聚苯乙烯和光滑及有凹槽的 DVD 表面上的呼吸图案。微孔膜是通过在潮湿环境中蒸发聚合物的氯仿溶液制备的。在共焦激光扫描显微镜下研究形成的呼吸图案，并对图像进行分析。形成了（a）三种聚合物分子量的呼吸图案，（b）两种浇铸技术，以及（c）在光滑和有凹槽的表面（商业 DVD）上的呼吸图案。本文还报道了水对形成的呼吸图案的润湿。发现孔径随分子量的增加和所用聚合物浓度的增加而增大。只有滴铸法才能得到呼吸图案。从图像计算出的 Voronoi 熵表明，与光滑表面相比，凹槽表面上的孔是有序的。接触角研究表明聚合物具有疏水性，图案化使疏水性增加。
