Our group has previously designed environmental chambers for collecting X-ray scattering data from bulk samples under controlled temperatures and humidities, and this design has facilitated development of structure-property relationships in hydrated materials. In this work, we expand on this previous development by reporting designs for environmental chambers for grazing incidence X-ray scattering and broadband dielectric spectroscopy on thin films exposed to controlled water- or solvent-vapor environments. These environmental chambers permit characterization of the morphologies, compositions, dielectric relaxations, and ionic conductivities of thin films at temperature and under controlled conditions. We demonstrate the utility of these environmental chambers using three example polymeric systems with various film thicknesses, morphologies, and solvents. Our group hopes to utilize these designs to investigate how solvent-swelling can be used to improve ion transport in nanostructured materials.
Designs for Environmental Chambers for Characterizing Solvent-Swollen Thin Films Published in Review of Scientific Instruments.
