ENTEG Seminar by Dr. R.K. Bose

Abstract

Polymer coatings are used in wide-ranging applications such as in biomedical implants, photovoltaic devices, textiles, surface energy, textiles, and stimuli-responsive materials. In this work, a variant of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is used to deposit organic polymer coatings. Due to the relatively mild deposition conditions, low temperatures and absence of damaging reaction conditions, the chemical functionalities and stoichiometry of polymers are retained. This all-dry process has environmental benefits because no solvents are used. The strengths of CVD polymerization are (i) polymers that are insoluble or difficult to post-process, such as fluoropolymers and conjugated polymers can be directly deposited as coatings; (ii) copolymers comprising of monomers incompatible in solution can be synthesized; (iii) high molecular weights can be achieved due to absence of solubility limitations; and (iv) coatings on three-dimensional substrates with micro- and nano- scale features can be achieved. The kinetics of polymerization have also been studied and found to be analogous to radical or cationic polymerization in solution based synthesis. This talk will show successful polymer depositions of coatings with interesting properties such as hierarchical roughness, biocompatibility, switchable hydrophilicity, non-fouling, controlled release, and self-cleaning. The relationship between polymer structure and desired properties will be discussed with respect to intended applications. This knowledge contributes towards the development of new multifunctional polymer coatings via a solvent-free technique.