Investigating the chain conformations of spin‐coated polymer thin films by ToF‐SIMS depth profiling |
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| Authors: | Xianwen Ren Lu‐Tao Weng Yi Fu Kai‐Mo Ng Chi‐Ming Chan |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong;2. Materials Characterization and Preparation Facility, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong;3. Advanced Engineering Materials Facility, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong;4. Division of Environment, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong |
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| Abstract: | Thin films of bromine‐terminated poly(bisphenol A octane ether) (BA‐C10) were prepared using 1,2‐dichlorobenzene (ODCB) as the solvent. The organization of the chains in these amorphous polymer films was evaluated using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) depth profiling. For the thin films, the bifunctional polymer chains were folded and anchored to the substrate via their two Br end groups and a polymer brush of chain loops was formed on the substrate. As the film thickness increased, polymer chains in a random coil conformation were found to reside on the top of the polymer brush. Depth profiling revealed that the polymer chains were densely packed at the interface. Moreover, the polymer films showed thermal stability, implying strong interactions between the end groups and the substrate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | ToF‐SIMS depth profiling polymer thin films chain conformation end groups |
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