This research affects solar cells and a host of other applications.
From the link:
Understanding how thin-film coatings react to temperature changes could lead to more effective and durable sensors, solar-energy converters, safer medical implants and a host of other applications, says Jodie Lutkenhaus, assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, who has found that heating some of these films can increase their stability.
The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of Soft Matter, a scientific journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, represent a significant step forward in the study of multilayer polymer thin-film coatings — material gaining increased interest for its potential versatility in a number of applications ranging from biomedical to industrial.
