Thin films were produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition from propanol-chloroform-argon mixtures. The main system parameter studied was the percentage of chloroform in the chamber feed, C Cl. Plasma polymers doped with chlorine were produced at deposition rates of up to 110 nm min −1. As revealed by infraredand X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the films consisted of a hydrogenated carbon matrix with a carbon content of at least 80 at.%, and a roughly constant oxygen content of about 12 at.%. A maximum chlorine content of~8 at.% was obtained. The surface contact angle of the films was around 75°, and was reduced slightly at greater chlorine contents. Optical properties were obtained from ultraviolet-visible-near infrared spectroscopic data. While the refractive index of the films was around 1.56 independently of C Cl , the chlorinated films showed a distinct optical gap of~2.5 eV compared to~1.9 eV for the unchlorinated film.

Thin films were produced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of tetramethylsilane, chloroform, and argon mixtures. The partial pressure of chloroform in the chamber feed, CCl, was varied from 0% to 40%. Amorphous hydrogenated carbon films also containing silicon, oxygen, and small amounts of chlorine, a-C:H:Si:O:Cl, were produced at deposition rates of up to about 220 nm min−1 (for a CCl of 40%). Transmission infrared analyses revealed the presence of OH groups in chlorinated films, along with, among others, CH, C=C, Si-CH, Si-CH2, and Si-O-Si groups. As revealed by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, the films could be doped with chlorine to a maximum of about 3 at. %. Surface morphology and roughness were examined using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Tauc band gaps, calculated from transmission ultraviolet–visible near infrared spectra, tend to decrease from ∼3.4 eV for unchlorinated films to around 2.5 eV for those doped with chlorine.

One of the main problems in electrochemical Pd deposition of coatings is the hydrogen desorption that causes microcracking phenomena. With the aim of understanding the structural changes due to the hydrogen desorption, the kinetics of the phase transformation from hydride to metallic structure has been followed by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments. The structural evolution of samples obtained by two different electrochemical baths has been compared. It was found that the solubility and the desorption kinetics of hydrogen are significantly influenced by the presence of structural defects. Residual stresses have been evaluated for both samples by means of 2D X-ray diffraction (XRD 2 ). The presence of amine complexes in the bath seems to contribute to reducing the crystalline dimension of the Pd-phase, and the differences between the specific volumes of a and b phases is reduced for nanostructured coatings.

Thin films deposited from propanol-chloroform-argon mixtures by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at different partial pressures of chloroform in the feed, C Cl , were characterized after two years of aging and their characteristics compared with their as-deposited properties. Film thickness decreased and surface roughness increased with aging. Surface contact angles also increased with aging for the chlorinated films. For the film deposited with 40% chloroform in the feed the contact angle increased about 14°. Transmission infrared and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed that the films gain carbonyl and hydroxyl groups and lose chlorine and hydrogen on aging. Chlorination appears to make the films more durable. Delamination was observed for the unchlorinated films.