Thermal stability of plasma deposited polysilanes

• Published in: Polymer degradation and stability Vol. 91; no. 12; pp. 2901 - 2910
• Main Authors: Kuřitka, Ivo, Horváth, Pavel, Schauer, František, Zemek, Josef
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2006; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Inorganic and organomineral polymers; Luminescence; Physicochemistry of polymers; Plasma; Polysilane; Properties and characterization; Thermal degradation; Thermal desorption spectroscopy, TDS; Thin film; Plasma; Polysilane; Thermal desorption spectroscopy, TDS; Luminescence; Thin film; Thermal degradation; Annealing; TDS; Heat treatment; Temperature effect; Experimental study; TDS; Polysilane; Luminescence; Thin film; Plasma; Thermal degradation; Thermal stability; Thermal properties; Spectrum analysis; Thermal desorption spectroscopy; Reaction mechanism; Plasma deposition
• ISSN: 0141-3910; 1873-2321
• DOI: 10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2006.08.019

A new method for studying thermal stability and concomitant chemical composition changes on thermal treatment of thin polymeric films is presented. It is applied to the study of thermal properties and modification of properties of polysilane-like materials with variable dimensionality prepared by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Structure and microphysical properties of these materials, modified by progressive annealing, are examined by fluorimetry, FTIR absorption spectroscopy and XPS. In addition, the role, bonding conditions and structural environments of organic moieties as well as their influence on thermal degradation processes are examined. It is found that plasma polysilanes undergo three consecutive thermal degradation processes: Si–Si bond cleavage, elimination of side groups and final carbide formation. Presence of disorder and crosslinking stabilises the plasmatic material in comparison to classically prepared polysilanes. Nanostructural units in low dimensional polysilanes enable the peak of the luminescence to be adjusted in the spectral range from near UV (360
nm) to red (600
nm).