Structured Ti/Hydrocarbon Plasma Polymer Nanocomposites Produced By Magnetron Sputtering with Glancing Angle Deposition

Abstract

Structured Ti/hydrocarbon plasma polymer nanocomposite films are deposited at a glancing angle by magnetron sputtering of titanium in an Ar/hexane mixture and by sequential magnetron sputtering of titanium and polypropylene. The surface chemistry of such films is tuned by adjusting the gas mixture composition. The structure of the substrate may convert the morphology of organic films deposited at a glancing angle from continuous to nanostructured thin films.

Perspectives on oblique angle deposition of thin films: From fundamentals to devices

“…A good example of work in this direction is that of Choukourov et al [190], in which tilted nanocolumnar structures of Ti-C nanocomposites were fabricated by adding hexane to the plasma during the MS-OAD deposition of Ti, altering the composition of the film and its microstructure. A significant number of other interesting examples of the newly coined term ''plasma nanotechnology" can be also be found in recent literature on the subject [191].…”

Supported plasma-made 1D heterostructures: perspectives and applications

“…However, the advent of new applications based on the use of nanostructured and porous thin films or other surface nanostructures (e.g., superhidrophobic/superhydrophilic surfaces, dye synthesized and hybrid solar cells, photocatalytic devices, electrodes for electrochemical and photo-electrochemical cells, piezoelectric brushes, fluorescent devices and other examples in electronics and photonics has fostered the development of new deposition procedures or the modification of the existing ones with the purpose of getting efficient methodologies of surface and thin film nanostructuring [4][5][6] and the preparation of supported 1D nanostructures such as nanowires (NWs), nanofibres (NFs), nanoribbons, nanotubes (NTs), etc. [7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Glancing Angle Deposition of Silver Promoted by Pre‐Deposited Nanoparticles

“…Glancing angle deposition (GLAD) is an established technique for deposition of columnar thin films . The technique is based on the fact that in the early stages of deposition the deposited material usually forms islands on the substrate.…”

“…Structured silver films may also find use in Surface‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) or as pressure sensors based on change of resistivity with pressure due to formation of new pathways for electric current when the columns are deformed and they touch . The formation of these columnar structures, however, is difficult with some materials, such as some noble metals or plasma polymers, which either have too high surface diffusion or, in combination with some substrates, do not form sufficient initial islands to trigger proper columnar growth. A way to overcome these obstacles is the deposition of preformed seeds for columnar growth.…”

“…This method is very accurate and enables deposition of ordered column arrays, but it is also quite slow and expensive. Another possibility is deposition of columns of another material that forms the columns more readily . This method is somewhat faster, but there is little control over the size of the columns.…”