Synthesis and Solution Processing of Nylon-5 Ferroelectric Thin Films: The Renaissance of Odd-Nylons?

Philipp von Tiedemann, Saleem Anwar, Ulrike Kemmer-Jonas, Kamal Asadi, Holger Frey

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14 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Among odd-nylons, nylon-5 exhibits the highest remanent polarization and is thus a desirable material for many applications of ferroelectric polymers. However, nylon-5 has never been used as a ferroelectric material, because the synthesis of nylon-5 and its processing into thin films are challenging. This work revisits the synthesis of nylon-5 via anionic ring opening polymerization (AROP) and studies the effect of reaction time and scale-up on (i) molecular weight (Mn), (ii) melting point (Tm), (iii) yield, and (iv) ferroelectric properties. For the first time, the molecular weight of nylon-5 is characterized via size exclusion chromatography (SEC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as well as matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI ToF-MS), showing Mn values of up to 12 500 g mol-1. Extended reaction times and the synthesis on a larger scale increase the molecular weight and yield. Nylon-5 thin films are fabricated from a TFA:acetone (60:40 mol%) solvent mixture. Nylon-5 thin-film capacitors are ferroelectric and show a remanent polarization as high as 12.5 ± 0.5 μC cm-2, which is stable in time. The high remanent polarization values, combined with the facile solution processing, render nylon-5 a promising candidate for future microelectronic and multi-ferroic applications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1900468
JournalMacromolecular Chemistry and Physics
Volume221
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2020

Funding

P.v.T. and S.A. contributed equally to this work. The authors thank Dr. Elena Berger‐Nicoletti for MALDI‐TOF measurements. P.v.T. acknowledges the Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science In Mainz and German Research Foundation (DFG GA 2169/1‐1) for partial financial support of this work. S.A. Acknowledges financial support from National University of Sciences & Technology, Islamabad (Pakistan). K.A. acknowledges Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for the funding provided in the framework of the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award endowed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany.

Keywords

  • anionic ring opening polymerization
  • ferroelectric thin films
  • memory devices
  • nylon-5
  • polyamides

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

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