Sequential Infiltration Synthesis with Organic Co-reactants for Extensively Swollen Organic–Inorganic Hybrid Thin Films

Abstract

We demonstrate the growth of polymer–Al–O(−R) hybrid thin films via a sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS). SIS using an organic coreactant resulted in the expansion of the hybrid thin films with a highly uniform distribution of the chemical composition. This behavior stems from the large free volumes created by the long and flexible chains of the organic coreactant, enabling the continued incorporation of SIS precursors into the structures. The proposed method will be a valuable addition to vacuum deposition techniques for both organic–inorganic hybrid thin films and porous inorganic films with tunable porosity, pore morphology, and film thickness.

Al2O3 growth in PMMA thin films by sequential infiltration synthesis: in situ thickness evolution and mass uptake investigation

“…Sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS), also referred to as vapor phase infiltration (VPI), provides a successful route to grow inorganic materials in polymeric films by the penetration of gaseous precursors into the polymer, [1][2][3] in order to enhance the functional properties of the polymer creating an organic-inorganic hybrid material [4][5][6][7][8][9] or to fabricate inorganic nanostructures when infiltrating in patterned polymer films. [10][11][12][13][14] In particular, SIS has been proposed as a powerful tool to generate inorganic nanostructures starting from self-assembled block copolymer templates.…”