Growth mechanisms of vapor-born polymer films

TL;DR

This study investigates the growth mechanisms of vapor-deposited polymer films, revealing complex surface roughening behaviors influenced by molecular interactions and chain relaxations, with detailed scaling analysis showing phase transition-like morphology changes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the dynamic roughening behavior of polymer films, highlighting the impact of molecular interactions and chain relaxation on growth regimes.

Findings

High initial growth exponent (beta=0.65) indicating rapid roughening

Crossover in roughness exponent suggesting phase transition-like behavior

Surface morphology evolution influenced by molecular interactions

Abstract

The surface morphologies of poly(chloro-p-xylylene) films were measured using atomic force microscopy and analyzed within the frame work of the dynamic scaling theory. The evolution of polymer films grown with fixed experimental parameters showed drastic changes of dynamic roughening behavior, which involve unusually high growth exponent (beta = 0.65+-0.03) in the initial growth regime, followed by a regime characterized by beta~0, and finally a crossover to beta = 0.18+-0.02 in a steady growth regime. Detailed scaling analysis of the surface fluctuation in Fourier space in terms of power spectral density revealed a gradual crossover in the global roughness exponent, analogous to a phase transition between two equilibrium states, from a morphology defined by alpha=1.36+-0.13 to the other morphology characterized by alpha=0.93+-0.04 as the film thickness increases. Our experimental results which significant deviate from the well established descriptions of film growth clearly exhibit that the dynamic roughening of polymer film is deeply affected by strong molecular interactions and relaxations of polymer chains.