The chemical properties of plasma polymers strongly depend on the operating conditions of plasma polymerization and impact their final application. Low‐pressure pulsed plasma polymerization of maleic anhydride was investigated at different positions from the glow discharge in a unique 1‐m‐long reactor. Based on a macroscopic approach, the growth kinetics of maleic anhydride plasma polymerization was investigated, leading to the identification of three growth regimes. The calculation of apparent activation energies associated with each regime and each position and the chemical characterization of polymer films by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflection–Fourier‐transform infrared as well as optical emission spectroscopy analyses of plasma species formed during deposition strongly indicate a combined spatial and temporal influence on the plasma polymerization kinetics.
The properties of the final product resulting from plasma polymerization strongly depend on the operating conditions and they impact the final application of the plasma polymer coating. Low-pressure pulsed plasma polymerization of maleic anhydride was investigated at two different positions in relation to the glow discharge in a 1-m-long tubular reactor. Interestingly, competition was observed in the deposition of maleic anhydride plasma polymer in the form of a smooth thin film versus that in the form of nanoparticles. The possibility of a spatiotemporal control of plasma polymerization enabled the deposition of a plasma coating with tunable morphological properties depending on the sample position from the glow discharge and on the plasma pulse parameters (on-time and off-time).
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