Preparation of large ultra-thin free-standing polymer films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016311989-A1
Application number	US-201615130524-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 21, 2015
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of making large ultrathin free-standing polymer films without use of a sacrificial layer includes the steps of providing a substrate, applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate, applying a polymer material onto said substrate and onto said polyelectrolyte material, and directly delaminating said polymer material from said substrate and said polyelectrolyte to produce the ultrathin free-standing polymer film.

First claim

The claims are:

1 . An ultrathin polymer film product, comprising:
a polymer film having a thicknesses below 100 nm.

2 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said polymer film having a thicknesses below 100 nm is produced by the process comprising the steps of
providing a substrate,
applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate,
applying a polymer material onto said substrate and onto said polyelectrolyte material, and
directly delaminating said polymer material from said substrate and said polyelectrolyte to produce the ultrathin polymer film product.

3 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said step of applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises applying a polycation to said substrate.

4 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said step of applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises applying a polyanion to said substrate.

5 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said step of applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises applying polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride to said substrate.

6 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said step of providing a substrate comprises providing a silicon substrate.

7 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said step of providing a substrate comprises providing a silicon wafer substrate.

8 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 wherein said step of directly delaminating said polymer material from said substrate and said polyelectrolyte to produce the ultrathin polymer film comprises immersing said substrate with said polymer material on said polyelectrolyte material and on said substrate into water and directly delaminating said polymer material to produce the ultrathin polymer film.

9 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 further comprising the step of collecting said ultrathin polymer film from said water using a holder.

10 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 further comprising the steps of collecting said ultrathin polymer film in said water using a holder and removing said ultrathin polymer film from said water at a shallow angle using a holder.

11 . The ultrathin polymer film product of claim 1 . further comprising the step of applying a marker to said polymer material.

12 . A method of making large ultrathin free-standing polymer films without use of a sacrificial layer, comprising the steps of:
providing a polymer material, providing a substrate, providing a polyelectrolyte material, applying said polyelectrolyte material to said substrate, applying said polymer material to said substrate to form an ultrathin film, and directly delaminating said ultrathin film from said substrate without use of the sacrificial layer.

13 . The method of making large ultrathin free-standing polymer films without use of a sacrificial layer of claim 12 wherein said steps of providing a polyelectrolyte material and applying said polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises providing a polycation polyelectrolyte material and applying said polycation polyelectrolyte material to said substrate.

14 . The method of making large ultrathin free-standing polymer films without use of a sacrificial layer of claim 12 wherein said steps of providing a polyelectrolyte material and applying said polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises providing a polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride polyelectrolyte material and applying said polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride polyelectrolyte material to said substrate.

15 . A method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film, comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate, applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate, applying a polymer material onto said substrate and onto said polyelectrolyte material, and directly delaminating said polymer material from said substrate and said polyelectrolyte to produce the ultrathin free-standing polymer film.

16 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 15 wherein said step of applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises applying a polycation to said substrate.

17 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 15 wherein said step of applying a polyelectrolyte material to said substrate comprises applying polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride to said substrate.

18 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 15 wherein said step of providing a substrate comprises providing a silicon substrate.

19 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 15 wherein said step of providing a substrate comprises providing a silicon wafer substrate.

20 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 15 further comprising the step of applying a marker to said polymer material.

21 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 15 wherein said step of directly delaminating said polymer material from said substrate and said polyelectrolyte to produce the ultrathin free-standing polymer film comprises immersing said substrate with said polymer material on said polyelectrolyte material and on said substrate into water and directly delaminating said polymer material to produce the ultrathin free-standing polymer film.

22 . The method of producing an ultrathin free-standing polymer film of claim 21 further comprising the step of collecting said ultrathin free-standing polymer film from said water using a holder.

23 . An ultra thin film, comprising:
a film having a thicknesses of less than 100 nm.

24 . The ultrathin film of claim 23 produced by the process of providing a substrate,
adding a layer of film material to said substrate, and
removing said layer of film without use of a sacrificial layer.

25 . The ultrathin film of claim 24 further comprising the step of processing said substrate before said step of adding a layer of film material to said substrate.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc
• General Atomics

Inventors

• Stadermann Michael
• Baxamusa Salmaan H
• Floyd Iii William C
• Miller Philip E
• Suratwala Tayyab I
• Tambazidis Anatolios A
• Youngblood Kelly Patricia
• Aracne-Ruddle Chantel
• Nelson Art J
• Chea Maverick
• Li Shuali

Classifications

• C08J2339/00

  Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of compounds having one or more unsaturated aliphatic radicals, each having only one carbon-to-carbon double bond, and at least one being terminated by a single or double bond to nitrogen or by a heterocyclic ring containing nitrogen; Derivatives of such polymers · CPC title

• C08J5/18 Primary

  Manufacture of films or sheets · CPC title

• B32B43/006

  Delaminating · CPC title

• C08J2333/12

  Homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate · CPC title

• C08J2329/14

  Homopolymers or copolymers of acetals or ketals obtained by polymerisation of unsaturated acetals or ketals or by after-treatment of polymers of unsaturated alcohols · CPC title