[en] This paper is an attempt to understand how Polycaprolactone-b-Polymethyl Methacrylate diblocks (PCL-b-PMMA) are organized in a confined geometry such as nanometric thin films spin coated on gold coated substrates. Polarization-Modulation Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS), employed to characterize PCL-b-PMMA thin films, allowed us to suggest an adsorption model of PCL-b-PMMA diblock copolymers in which PCL chains are almost perpendicular to the substrate plane, while PMMA blocks seem to be flattened at the surface. These results were also supported by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) that was extremely useful for the comprehension of PCL-b-PMMA diblocks behavior when adsorbed as thin films. The combination of the experimental observations offered us the possibility to propose a model of chain folding in the PCL-b-PMMA diblock copolymers after adsorption on chemically inert substrates. (author)

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[en] Different diffraction patterns measured above and below the critical angle for total reflection were recorded on a Gd doped ceria layer deposited on a Si(100) substrate in asymmetric coplanar diffraction conditions. From the analysis of diffraction patterns, it was possible to point out peculiar optical aberrations responsible for the shifts and the broadenings of Bragg peaks induced by this setup. Corrections for all these aberrations were implanted in a Rietveld programme. Using these corrections, it becomes possible to follow the evolution of the structure (chemical composition, phases) and the microstructure (strain field, micro strain due to heterogeneities between grains, size of coherent diffracting domains) versus the depth on thin films. (authors)

[en] Si-C films approximately 1 μm thick were synthesized on heated (830⁰C) Si(100) wafers using dual magnetron source sputter deposition and elemental carbon and silicon targets. Films of different compositions were analyzed for homogeneity, composition and impurities by sputter profiling in combination with Auger electron spectroscopy. Auger line shape analysis was used to detect differences in the bulk and surface chemistry of carbon and silicon. (Auth.)

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[en] Carbon-oxide nano-composite films have been fabricated using a sol-gel synthesis of hybrid precursors i.e. tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) + methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) or colloidal zirconia + MβCD, followed by carbonization in an inert atmosphere. Reflectance measurements were performed on these samples to determine solar absorptance (α) and thermal emittance (ε). The ratio α/ε was used to quantify the selectivity of the samples, the bigger this value the better the selectivity. The selectivity of the films was optimized according to various parameters such as the amount of MβCD in the precursor, the thickness of the film or the surface roughness. The best value of α/ε was obtained for a TEOS + MβCD film coated on a copper substrate. (authors)

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