Invited Paper TF+PS-ThM3
Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition of Functional Polymers onto Porous Materials and Liquid Surfaces

Thursday, October 31, 2013, 8:40 am, Room 102 C

This talk will present the mechanism, kinetics, and potential applications associated with the vapor phase deposition of functional polymers onto structured materials and liquid surfaces. Vapor phase deposition eliminates the need for organic solvents and thereby offers a safer and cleaner alternative to liquid phase polymer processing. We will demonstrate our ability to pattern functional polymers onto structured materials such as microfluidic devices, porous materials, and pillar arrays. We will also present our recent work demonstrating deposition onto liquids with negligible vapor pressures such as ionic liquids (ILs) and silicone oils. We will demonstrate that the polymer morphology at the liquid/vapor interface is controlled by surface tension interactions. The ability to controllably tailor polymer morphology at the interface allows for the design of ultrathin free-standing polymer films, micron-scaled particles, and core-shell particles. We will also demonstrate that polymerization can occur within the liquid layer allowing for the fabrication of polymer/IL composite films.