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Designing Nanostructured Organic-Based Material by Combining Plasma Polymerization and the Wrinkling Approach
Nathan Vinx1, David Tromont1, Adrien Chauvin1
1Chimie des Interactions Plasma-Surface (ChIPS), Institut Matériaux, Université de Mons, 20 Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons, Belgium.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|October 16, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a novel method to create nanostructured organic thin films using a wrinkling phenomenon in plasma polymer films (PPF) and aluminum coatings. This technique offers stable, tunable organic surfaces for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Fabricating nanostructured organic thin films is crucial for advanced material applications.
- Controlling surface morphology at the nanoscale presents significant challenges.
- Existing methods may lack versatility or long-term stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a versatile strategy for fabricating nanostructured organic thin films.
- To investigate the wrinkling phenomenon in a plasma polymer film (PPF) and aluminum (Al) bilayer system.
- To utilize wrinkled surfaces as templates for creating complex nanostructured organic surfaces.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a bilayer system: liquid plasma polymer film (PPF) coated with aluminum (Al).
- Morphological characterization using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
- Utilizing wrinkled PPF/Al surfaces as templates for depositing a third PPF layer.
Main Results:
- Wrinkle dimensions (wavelength, amplitude) were found to depend on PPF thickness, consistent with polymer models.
- The wrinkled surfaces demonstrated high stability over 100 days due to pinning effects.
- A third PPF layer deposited on the wrinkled template formed a nanostructured organic-based surface.
- The chemical composition of the final nanostructured surface could be tuned by precursor selection (allyl alcohol or propanethiol).
Conclusions:
- The wrinkling phenomenon in PPF/Al bilayers provides an innovative and versatile route to nanostructured organic thin films.
- The resulting nanostructured surfaces exhibit excellent long-term morphological stability.
- This templating approach allows for the creation of tunable, nanostructured organic surfaces for diverse applications.
