Grafted conducting polymer films for nano-patterning onto various organic and inorganic substrates by oxidative chemical vapor deposition

A one-step process, termed oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) for directly grafting conducting polymers onto flexible polymer substrates which contain aromatic groups was demonstrated. The grafting was successfully obtained on various, widely-used flexible substrates such as polystyrene (PS), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), and polycarbonate (PC) in as-received form, which offers the possibility of mass-production of grafted flexible conducting layers at low cost. Patterns were defined by a variety of methods including conventional photolithography, non-conventional physical molding and e-beam lithography. In order to verify the effectiveness of grafting toward enhanced adhesion of PEDOT onto the underlying polymeric layer, surface deformation induced by swelling stress was investigated. The grafted film exhibited a dramatic increase in adhesion strength. This easy, one-step grafting process offers a wide process window and versatility in applications to various flexible substrates.