Institute of Solid State Physics


SS22WS22SS23WS23SS24WS24      Guidelines for Master Students

CVD of polymers from material properties to device fabrication
A. M. Coclite
Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology
13:20 - 13:40 Monday 28 September 2015 Hörsaal I, Alte Technik

Functional thin films offer innovative solutions for many technological applications: organic electronics, smart devices for biotechnology, microfluidics, membrane technology, sensors and drug delivery systems. The development of functional thin films, engineered to achieve all the desired properties, requires advanced growth techniques. The development of dry growth methods - based on vacuum- aims to complement and enlarges the applicability of functional thin films to fields where the presence of solvent is detrimental.
Successful results in terms of rationally designed micro- and nanoengineered materials will be demonstrated using as a case of study the growth of functional polymers by initiated CVD (iCVD). 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. Layered nanostructures in proton conductive iCVD polymers were investigated though X-ray based methods. The polymers crystallize in a bilayer structure, perpendicular to the substrate surface, formed by perfluorinated pendant chains. Acid moieties were introduced to form ionic channels among the bilayers –parallel to the substrate surface- which can be responsible for proton conduction. This one-step polymerization process has the potential to manufacture inexpensive, high quality membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.
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 will also be presented.