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Where physics meets chemistry: Thin film deposition from reactive plasmas

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Abstract

Functionalising surfaces using polymeric thin films is an industrially important field. One technique for achieving nanoscale, controlled surface functionalization is plasma deposition. Plasma deposition has advantages over other surface engineering processes, including that it is solvent free, substrate and geometry independent, and the surface properties of the film can be designed by judicious choice of precursor and plasma conditions. Despite the utility of this method, the mechanisms of plasma polymer growth are generally unknown, and are usually described by chemical (i.e., radical) pathways. In this review, we aim to show that plasma physics drives the chemistry of the plasma phase, and surface-plasma interactions. For example, we show that ionic species can react in the plasma to form larger ions, and also arrive at surfaces with energies greater than 1000 kJ∙mol–1 (>10 eV) and thus facilitate surface reactions that have not been taken into account previously. Thus, improving thin film deposition processes requires an understanding of both physical and chemical processes in plasma.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Australia, SA 5095

    Andrew Michelmore & Jason D. Whittle

  2. Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Australia, SA 5095

    Andrew Michelmore & Robert D. Short

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GJ, UK

    James W. Bradley

  4. Material Science Institute, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YW, UK

    Robert D. Short

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  1. Andrew Michelmore
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  2. Jason D. Whittle
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Correspondence to Andrew Michelmore or Robert D. Short.

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Andrew Michelmore obtained his B.E. (Chem) from the University of Adelaide before starting his PhD in Physical Chemistry at the Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia (UniSA) which he completed in 2001. After working on projects related to minerals processing for 3 years at UniSA, he worked in industry for 4 years in analytical laboratories for the wine and vaccine industries. He re-joined UniSA in 2008 and is now a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Engineering where he teaches Materials Science. He is also a member of the Future Industries Institute at UniSA, where his research interests are in understanding the physical and chemical mechanisms of plasma polymerisation, surface interactions and surface analysis. He applies his knowledge of Materials Science and Surface Engineering in the fields of health and biomedical sciences, particularly on mediating cell-surface interactions using functionalised thin films.

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Michelmore, A., Whittle, J.D., Bradley, J.W. et al. Where physics meets chemistry: Thin film deposition from reactive plasmas. Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 10, 441–458 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11705-016-1598-7

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