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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Reactive Vapor Deposition of Conjugated Polymer Films on Arbitrary Substrates
Published on: January 17, 2018
Thickness-Dependent Swelling Behavior of Vapor-Deposited Smart Polymer Thin Films
Fabian Muralter1, Alberto Perrotta1, Anna Maria Coclite1
1Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, 8010 Graz, Austria.
Abstract:
In this contribution, the temperature-dependent swelling behavior of vapor-deposited smart polymer thin films is shown to depend on cross-linking and deposited film thickness. Smart polymers find application in sensor and actuator setups and are mostly fabricated on delicate substrates with complex nanostructures that need to be conformally coated. As initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) meets these specific requirements, the present work concentrates on temperature-dependent swelling behavior of iCVD poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thin films. The transition between swollen and shrunken state and the corresponding lower critical solution temperature (LCST) was investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry in water. The films' density in the dry state evaluated from X-ray reflectivity could be successfully correlated to the position of the LCST in water and was found to vary between 1.1 and 1.3 g/cm3 in the thickness range 30-330 nm. This work emphasizes the importance of insights in both the deposition process and mechanisms during swelling of smart polymeric structures.
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