Preparation of carbazole polymer thin films chemically bound to substrate surface by physical vapor deposition combined with self-assembled monolayer

Vinyl polymer thin films having carbazole units were prepared by a new method combining physical vapor deposition and self-assembled monolayer (SAM) techniques. 3-(N-carbazolyl)propyl acrylate monomer was evaporated onto a gold substrate that had a VAZO 56 (DuPont) initiator attached as a SAM. The VAZO initiator was activated by irradiating ultraviolet light after depositing the monomer. Although the polymerization reaction can proceed even without the surface initiator, the SAM was effective in improving the surface smoothness, thermal stability, and film-substrate adhesion as a consequence of the formation of covalent chemical bonds between the film and the substrate. Thermal activation of the initiator was examined for the deposition polymerization of 9-H-carbazole-9-ethylmethacryrate. Substrate heating during the evaporation was not effective for accumulating thin films. On the other hand, performing postdeposition annealing on the film after deposition at room temperature resulted in the formation of a polymer thin film chemically bound to the substrate.