Nanoscopic Urethane Layers on Native Metals

This book explores nanometer-scale urethane layers formed through gas phase molecular layer deposition, focusing specifically on their formation on the native surfaces of aluminum and copper. It assesses the layer chemistry, morphology, and stability and reports on new observations that alcohol monomers adhere weakly and desorb rapidly. The diisocyanate monomer forms stable layers due to the isocyanate groups forming carbamate links with hydroxide groups on the metal oxides. Sequential deposition of isocyanate and alcohol monomers reveals specific properties. The topography is consistently rough and metal-specific, depending on the type of alcohol and deposition sequence. At moderate temperatures, short-chained urethane oligomers form instead of a crosslinked network. Raising the temperature after deposition intensifies urethane formation, resulting in both homogenized topology and improved solvent resilience of the deposits. The results highlight the limitations of monomer monolayer deposition. Further adjustments to the deposition parameters and improvements to the setup are proposed. This book provides materials scientists and engineers with new and detailed information on the preparation procedure for ultra-thin urethane layers. It advances their understanding of advanced materials and contributes to the development and optimization of various technological applications.