Crystalline phase transitions of nanostructured poly-(p-xylylene) films

POLY 90

Murat Cetinkaya, muc176@psu.edu, Engineering Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 212 EES Bldg, University Park, PA 16802 and Melik C Demirel, mdemirel@engr.psu.edu, Engineering Science, Penn State University, 212 EES Bdlg, University Park, PA 16802.
Oblique angle deposition of poly-p-xylylene (PPX) yields nanostructured polymers that are composed of densely organized slanted columns that have very high aspect ratios as much as 1000:1. The first observations regarding the crystalline phase transition of nanostructured PPX films are reported here. Crystallinity of nanostructured PPX films is investigated by post-deposition heat treatment at different temperatures and time periods. Crystallinity of an annealed film is compared with the intensity of its diffraction peaks during x-ray measurements. Crystal domains can be formed by annealing at lower temperatures for longer times, or at high temperatures for shorter times. Higher temperatures are also important in the sense that new crystalline phases are achievable only after certain temperature thresholds. Control of crystallinity in polymeric materials is crucial for the exhibited physical and chemical characteristics which determine the material performance in practical applications.
 

General Papers
2:00 PM-4:20 PM, Sunday, April 6, 2008 Hilton New Orleans Riverside -- Grand Salon 4, Oral

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008