Study of the silicon-poly[(deutero)ethylene] interface by total internal reflection of very cold neutrons

The structure of thin (30-nm-thick) inner PE and poly(deuteroethylene) (PDE) layers of a polymeric film synthesized directly on a silicon substrate surface activated with a vanadium chloride-triisobutyl-aluminum catalyst was studied by the method of total internal reflection of a neutron wave. The coefficient of reflection R of very cold neutrons from the PDE-vacuum, Si-PDE, and Si-PE interfaces was studied as a function of the neutron wavelength λ. An analysis of the R(λ) curves showed that a supermolecular structure of the interfacial PE layers differs markedly from the PE structure at the outer film surface.