In Situ GISAXS Observation and Large Area Homogeneity Study of Slot-Die Printed PS-b-P4VP and PS-b-P4VP/FeCl3 Thin Films

Mesoporous hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) thin films with high surface-to-volume ratios show great potential as photoelectrodes or electrochemical electrodes in energy conversion and storage. In the present work, with the assistance of an up-scalable slot-die coating technique, locally highly ordered alpha-Fe2O3 thin films are successfully printed based on the amphiphilic diblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) as a structure-directing agent. Pure PS-b-P4VP films are printed under the same conditions for comparison. The micellization of the diblock copolymer in solution, the film formation process of the printed thin films, the homogeneity of the dry films in the lateral and vertical direction as well as the morphological and compositional information on the calcined hybrid PS-b-P4VP/FeCl3 thin film are investigated. Because of convection during the solvent evaporation process, a similar dimple-type structure of vertically aligned cylindrical PS domains in a P4VP matrix developed for both printed PS-b-P4VP and hybrid PS-b-P4VP/FeCl3 thin films. The coordination effect between the Fe3+ ions and the vinylpyridine groups significantly affects the attachment ability of the P4VP chains to the silicon substrate. Accordingly, distinct feature sizes and homogeneity in the lateral direction, as well as the thicknesses in the perpendicular direction, are demonstrated in the two printed films. By removing the polymer template from the hybrid PS-b-P4VP/FeCl3 film at high temperature, a locally highly ordered mesoporous alpha-Fe2O3 film is obtained. Thus, a facile and up-scalable printing technique is presented for producing homogeneous mesoporous alpha-Fe2O3 thin films.

Automated summary

In this study, a scalable printing technique was successfully developed to produce highly ordered mesoporous α-Fe2O3 thin films using a diblock copolymer as a structure-directing agent. The technique shows great potential for applications in energy conversion and storage.