title: Long-term aging of Ag/a-C:H:O nanocomposite coatings in air and in aqueous environment.
abstract: Nanocomposite coatings of silver particles embedded in a plasma polymer matrix possess interesting properties depending on their microstructure. The film microstructure is affected among others also by the RF power supplied during the deposition, as shown by transmission electron microscopy. The optical properties are characterized by UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy. An anomalous optical absorption peak from the Ag nanoparticles is observed and related to the microstructure of the nanocomposite films. Furthermore, a long-term aging of the coatings is studied in-depth in ambient air and in aqueous environments. It is shown that the studied films are not entirely stable. The deposition conditions and the microstructure of the films affect the processes taking place during their aging in both environments.
authors.affiliation: Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology, Laboratory for Advanced Fibers, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St.Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drábik
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Physics of Materials, Ke Karlovu 5, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pešička
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Department of Macromolecular Physics, V Holešovičkách 2, 180 00 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Hynek
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Biederman
authors.affiliation: Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology, Laboratory for Advanced Fibers, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014 St.Gallen, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hegemann
keywords: 10.10 nanoscale materials; 20.11 thin FILMS/nanomaterials synthesis; 30.04 materials observation (optical microscopy; 30.07 optical analysis (IR; 30.10 surface/nanostructures characterization; Raman scattering; SEM; SNOM); SPM; TEM; UV); aging; nanocomposites; plasma polymerization; silver; sputtering