Deposition kinetics and characterization of stable ionomers from hexamethyldisiloxane and methacrylic acid by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

A novel ionomer of hexamethyldisiloxane and methacrylic acid was synthesized by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The PECVD process, being solventless, allows mixing of monomers with very different solubilities, and for polymers formed at high deposition rates and with high structural stability (due to the high number of cross-links and covalent bonding to the substrate) to be obtained. A kinetic study over a large set of parameters was run with the aim of determining the optimal conditions for high stability and proton conductivity of the polymer layer. Copolymers with good stability over 6 months' time in air and water were obtained, as demonstrated by ellipsometry, X-Ray reflectivity, and FT-IR spectroscopy. Stable coatings showed also proton conductivity as high as 1.1±0.1 mS cm-1. Chemical analysis showed that due to the high molecular weight of the chosen precursors, it was possible to keep the plasma energy-input-per-mass low. This allowed limited precursor fragmentation and the functional groups of both monomers to be retained during the plasma polymerization.