Functionalization of parylene during its chemical vapor deposition

Abstract

Abstract Two possible mechanisms for the reaction of four halogenated (metha)acrylate‐based molecules with Parylene [poly (paraxylylene)] during its chemical vapor deposition were proposed. The chemical reactivity of acrylate double bond with the paraxylylene biradical was calculated for all four (metha)acrylate‐based molecules. These calculations allowed the evaluation of the energetically favorable mechanism and indeed a direct correlation was found between both predicted and experimental reactivities. Next, the reactivity of the (metha)acrylate‐modified Parylene films was evaluated through their reaction with different amines. The obtained amidated Parylene films were characterized with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Kaiser test for primary amines, and fluorescence microscopy. The strong reactivity of (metha)acrylate‐modified Parylene films toward nucleophilic substitution emphasizes a general method for the functionalization of self‐supported Parylene films grown on the reacting solutions using the novel solid on liquid deposition process. This paves the way to the development of multifunctional materials in a one‐step process resulting from the deposition Parylene over liquid patterns. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011