Ultrathin PTFE, PVDF, and FEP Coatings Deposited Using Plasma-assisted Physical Vapor Deposition

Bioinspired metal–polymer thin films with varying hydrophobic properties

“…14,15 An important factor to establish first is whether sputtering retains the polymerization of the deposited material. 16,17 To ascertain the polymerized content, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was conducted on a number of PTFE films deposited by RF sputtering under various processing conditions.…”

“…The findings support previous studies on sputtered PTFE films where it was determined that the degree of crosslinking is not affected as a result of sputter ion bombardment. 14,19,22,23 Additionally, it has been noted that films with reduced polymerization had rougher surfaces owing to changes in their functional groups which produced excessive crosslinking and a high proportion of unreacted monomers. 18,19,24,25 NiTi thin films…”

Ultrathin Cross-Linked Perfluoropolyether Film Coatings from Liquid CO2 and Subsequent UV Curing

“…New fluorinated polymer materials and coating methods have been investigated to overcome the limitations inherent to the traditional fluoropolymers. This includes fluorinated polyolefin coatings, organic solvent soluble fluoropolymers, , water dispersions or even water-soluble fluoropolymers, − and vacuum-based deposition techniques. , However, usage of expensive and harmful organic solvents, emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and generation of large quantities of chemical wastes are major concerns in the liquid solvent-based fluoropolymer coating techniques. Utilization of the vacuum-based fluorinated surface preparation techniques is often limited by unpredictable film chemical composition, complexity of operation, and high tool cost.…”