Plasma Copolymerization of Fluorinated and Acrylate Monomers: Kinetics and Chemical Structure Study

The plasma homo- and co-polymerization of a fluorinated monomer and an acrylate one are studied in pulsed mode. The proportion of each monomer in the mixture, input power, on and off-times are varied. Their effects are examined on the growth kinetics and on the chemical structure of the obtained layers. The chemical structure of the films is characterized using Fourier Transform Infra-Red and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The results show the formation of a polymer blend or a block copolymer rather than a new material. The variation of power and on-time affects the acrylate unit structure more than it does the fluorinated monomer, both in the homopolymers and in the copolymer. The deposition kinetics of the copolymer seems to be governed by the fluorinated monomer that plays a catalytic role in the comonomer mixture.