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A method for the determination of coating film thicknesses at nanometer resolution based on surface masking and atomic force microscopy (AFM) is described. A polymeric mask is used to cover part of a substrate during the deposition of thin polymeric coatings by plasma polymerization, allowing the production of well defined polymer steps of heights of a few tens of nanometers. Tapping mode AFM has been employed to analyze the topography of these steps at high resolution. This method has also allowed accurate measurement of the kinetics of the deposition of plasma polymer films over a range of exposure times. XPS analysis of different substrate surfaces following mask removal found barely detectable residues, suggesting that the underlying surface chemistry remains unchanged, and accessible for further modification. In combination with quartz crystal microgravimetry, the method has been applied to the measurement of the density of plasma polymer coatings in the thickness range 4–50 nm.

The incorporation of oxygen into nitrogen-containing plasma deposited polymers was studied by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). As the oxygen content of the plasma polymer increased, the binding energy of the N 1s photoelectrons increased. Conversely, the binding energy of the O 1s photoelectrons was inversely proportional to the nitrogen content of the plasma polymer. The data from a large number of samples all obeyed the same “universal” correlations of photoelectron binding energy versus chemical composition. The data were described by the same curve regardless of whether the oxygen was incorporated rapidly into the thin film during plasma deposition or whether the oxygen was added slowly during spontaneous oxidation of the film in air. This implies that the same thermodynamic principles of radical reactions governed the addition of oxygen to the plasma polymer. The shift in the O 1s and N 1s photoelectron binding energies as a function of chemical composition was used to monitor the proximity of nitrogen and oxygen. By contrasting the experimental data with a simple binomial model which described the random addition of oxygen to a lattice containing carbon and nitrogen, we were able to show that oxygen was preferentially added near nitrogen-containing groups in plasma polymers.

The properties and composition of plasma polymer surfaces stored in air can change considerably over time, especially as a result of oxidative reactions. When plasma polymers contain an element other than O, it is possible to probe for mechanisms in addition to oxidation that contribute to the aging of the surface. Plasma polymers containing N were fabricated from either 1,3-diaminopropane (DAP),n-heptylamine (nHA), or allylamine (AA), and studied by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) and air/water contact angles (CA). For each of the plasma polymers, a multiexponential increase in the O/C ratio was observed over time using XPS. The N/C ratios remained constant (AA) or decreased somewhat (nHA and DAP). In contrast, the trends in CA values differed, declining for the nHA surfaces, rising for the AA, and changing little for the DAP. Surface roughness, assessed by scanning tunnelling or atomic force microscopy, did not change over time. The diverse adjustments in the polarity of each surface and the similar compositional changes between them are reconcilable if the aging of the plasma polymer surface is a manifestation of the superposition of concurrent oxidative reactions and partial surface reorientation; the former introduce polar groups and the latter transports then from the surface to deeper regions beyond the CA probe depth but within the XPS analysis depth. These processes vary between different plasma polymers. Data for the alkylamine plasma polymers is also compared with that for two plasma polymers fabricated from methanol. The change in composition, but not polarity, of the DAP surface after 4 days of storage demonstrates the importance of using multiple techniques to characterize the aging of plasma polymer surfaces.

The effect was investigated of varying the plasma excitation frequency in the range 125 to 375 kHz upon the air/water contact angles of plasma polymers prepared from the monomers ethylbutyraldehyde (EBA), acetaldehyde (AA), capronaldehyde (CA), and nonyl aldehyde (NA). The surfaces of EBA, CA, and AA plasma films were more hydrophilic when deposited at lower excitation frequencies whereas little frequency dependence was observed in the case of NA plasma polymers. Lower contact angles correlated with increased amounts of C=O and O−C=O groups measured by FTIR and XPS analyses. The effects of storage (“aging”) in air at room temperature upon the properties of the plasma polymers were also studied. Contact angles of EBA plasma polymers decreased during aging. The contact angles of NA plasma polymers were stable over a 3 months storage period. In the case of CA plasma polymers, the contact angles decreased on aging for films deposited at higher frequencies, whereas CA films deposited at lower frequencies showed increasing contact angles on storage. This aging behavior is interpreted as a result of competition between post-deposition oxidative reactions with atmospheric oxygen and reorientation of polar polymer segments away from the air interface.

Angle-dependent XPS and air/water contact angle (CA) measurements were performed on specimens of n-hexane plasma polymers at various times after fabrication in order to monitor the aging of the surfaces in contact with air. XPS revealed incorporation of oxygen over extended periods of time. The depth distribution of O changed in the course of aging. CAs decreased over the first 3 weeks, then increased again, and finally stabilized at 5 weeks. These results were interpreted in terms of two concurrent processes: spontaneous oxidation (initiated by trapped radicals), which increased the surface polarity, and surface restructuring, which caused the partial removal of polar groups from the interface with air. The former process made a larger contribution to the overall aging of the surfaces but the latter process also contributed measurably. Over the first 3 weeks, oxidation was rapid and surface restructuring was not competitive. Subsequently, the oxygen uptake slowed down markedly, and the outermost surface layers became oxygen depleted relative to the deeper layers, due to partial surface reorientation. The surface topography, assessed by STM, did not change on aging. The aging of n-hexane plasma polymer surfaces thus is due to superimposed effects arising from post-deposition oxidative processes and partial surface reorientation.