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Chemical Vapor Deposition of Polymer Thin Films Using Cationic Initiation
Author(s) -
Gao Yifan,
Cole Branden,
Tenhaeff Wyatt E.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201700425
Subject(s) - materials science , polymer , thin film , cationic polymerization , chemical vapor deposition , polystyrene , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , divinylbenzene , chemical engineering , combustion chemical vapor deposition , polymer chemistry , copolymer , carbon film , composite material , nanotechnology , styrene , engineering
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is an attractive technique for the fabrication of high‐quality polymer thin films. The scheme used to initiate polymer chain growth is fundamental to controlling polymer thin film chemistry. A new initiation scheme for polymer CVD utilizing cationic initiation with a strong Lewis acid, TiCl 4 , in combination with a hydrogen donor, H 2 O, is presented. This coinitiation scheme results in polystyrene deposition rates of 139 nm min −1 , relative to just 34 nm min −1 when TiCl 4 is used alone. Characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows that the polymer structures of polystyrene films prepared by conventional solution‐based techniques and cationic CVD are similar. Synthesis of cross‐linked polymer thin films is also demonstrated by depositing poly(divinylbenzene) and showing its insolubility in a range of solvents. The practical utility of these poly(divinylbenzene) films as corrosion resistant coatings is demonstrated. In 1 n HCl, 200 nm thick films on stainless steel increase the polarization resistance by a factor of 44 relative to bare, untreated stainless steel.