title: Fabricating Polymer Canopies onto Structured Surfaces Using Liquid Scaffolds.
abstract: In this work, we study the use of initiated chemical vapor deposition in conjunction with liquid scaffolds to deposit polymer canopies onto structured surfaces. Liquid is applied to micropillar and microstructure surfaces to act as a scaffolding template such that the deposited polymer films take the shape of the liquid surface. Two methods for directing the location of the scaffolding liquid were examined. In the first method, high surface tension liquids rest in a Cassie-Baxter state over the structured surfaces, allowing for control over the canopy location and size by varying the position and volume of the liquid. In the second method, the structured surfaces are inverted onto a thin layer of low surface tension liquid, allowing the coverage and height of the canopy to be controlled by varying the area and thickness of the liquid layer. Although the canopies demonstrated in this study were fabricated using initiated chemical vapor deposition, the generality of our scaffolding method can easily be translated to other vapor deposition processes.
authors.affiliation: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.
authors.forename: Benny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Frank-Finney
authors.affiliation: Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, California 90089, United States.
authors.forename: Malancha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
keywords: chemical vapor deposition; coatings; polymers; thin films