CVD polymers for smart surface modification and device fabrication.
Anna Maria Coclite, Dr. Assistant Professor
Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology
Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, Austria
Polymer coatings offer innovative solutions for the realization of “Smart” surfaces, which
dynamically respond to the stimuli coming from the environment. Successful examples of smart
polymer surfaces are pH- or temperature-responsive coatings, anti-stain and self-cleaning
coatings, biomedical coatings and heterogeneous surfaces.
The deposition of well-adhered, conformal, thin (<100 nm) polymer coatings has been largely
demonstrated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for a variety of technological applications. A
recently developed method for the deposition of polymeric thin films is the so-called initiated
chemical vapor deposition (iCVD). iCVD allows the room temperature modification with
functional polymers of virtually any type of substrate: organic, inorganic, rigid, flexible, planar,
three-dimensional, dense, or porous.
In CVD polymerization, the monomer is vaporized and delivered to the surface, where it
undergoes simultaneous polymerization and thin film formation. By eliminating the need to
dissolve macromolecules, CVD enables insoluble polymers to be coated and prevents solvent
damage to the substrate. CVD film growth proceeds from the substrate up, allowing for
interfacial engineering, real-time monitoring, and thickness control.
Successful results in terms of rationally designed micro- and nanoengineered materials will be
shown. The high versatility of iCVD in driving application-specific properties into the material,
creating a platform for the implementation of polymeric coatings into device fabrication will be
discussed.