University of SaskatchewanHARVEST
  • Login
  • Submit Your Work
  • About
    • About HARVEST
    • Guidelines
    • Browse
      • All of HARVEST
      • Communities & Collections
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
      • This Collection
      • By Issue Date
      • Authors
      • Titles
      • Subjects
    • My Account
      • Login
      JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
      View Item 
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item
      • HARVEST
      • Electronic Theses and Dissertations
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      • View Item

      Methods to induce a preferred molecular alignment in the epitaxial growth of n-alkane thin films

      Thumbnail
      View/Open
      ZUHAIB-THESIS.pdf (3.117Mb)
      Date
      2013-01-04
      Author
      Zuhaib, Amara
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
      Show full item record
      Abstract
      The development of general techniques to define and control the molecular orientation at the nanoscale can improve the efficiency of some functional materials, such as organic electronic devices, waveguides and liquid crystal based devices. The main aim of this project is to develop methods to define and control the orientation and ordering of molecules in the epitaxially grown organic thin films. There are a number of factors such as field effects (magnetic and electric), temperature, and substrate crystal lattice orientation, which can be tailored to achieve the molecular orientation control. The first method to control the molecular orientation control was based upon the concept of liquid crystal imprinting (LCI) technique developed by the Patrick group (Western Washington University, USA) in which an oriented monolayer n-alkane film was grown by epitaxy on a liquid crystal (LC) film on a graphite substrate, where the LC film was initially oriented by using a magnetic field. The first goal of this research work was to reproduce this LCI work for oriented n-alkane multilayer films. A LC film can act as a sacrificial template and the magnetic field can initially align LC thin films on the graphite substrate. Then, n-alkanes deposited by physical vapour deposition can diffuse through the LC and replace the oriented LC molecules while preserving their orientation, leading to oriented n-alkane films. The second goal of research project is to develop a new method for controlling the molecular orientation of n-alkane films. The idea of LCI was modified and in the new method LC films are oriented with an electric field. Then, thin films of n-tetracontane (C40, C40H82) are subsequently deposited on the electrically oriented LC by physical vapour deposition. In this process, the oriented LC film acts as a sacrificial template and highly oriented n-alkane films are obtained. In this research work, the results of Patrick et al.1 were reproduced and the idea of LCI was extended to electric field alignment for obtaining highly oriented n-alkane films.
      Degree
      Master of Science (M.Sc.)
      Department
      Chemistry
      Program
      Chemistry
      Supervisor
      Urquhart, Stephen G.
      Committee
      Grosvenor, Andrew P.
      Copyright Date
      January 2013
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2013-01-841
      Subject
      Molecular orientation control
      Epitaxy
      n-alkane thin films
      Collections
      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
      University of Saskatchewan

      University Library

      The University of Saskatchewan's main campus is situated on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis.

      © University of Saskatchewan
      Contact Us | Disclaimer | Privacy