Dissertation thesis defence of DPE student Štěpánka Kelarová

We invited you to dissertation thesis defence of the Department of Physical Electronics student:

Mgr. Štěpánka Kelarová – Organosilicon coatings based on trimethylsilyl acetate monomer prepared using plasma of RF capacitively coupled glow discharge

Organosilicon coatings prepared using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition play an essential role in many research studies. These materials can be used in many ways in industry and for bioapplications. In particular, thin films based on siloxane precursors or tetraethoxysilane were studied in the past. The present work deals with thin solid films prepared from trimethylsilyl acetate (TMSAc) using a plasma of RF capacitively coupled glow discharge. This novel compound has not been investigated for applications within plasma technologies. Contrary to the commonly used precursors, TMSAc includes an ester group in its structure. Thus, carbonyl functionalities could be integrated into the structure of resulting coatings. This could be advantageous for the development of biocompatible organosilicon films.

In the frame of the present work, several sets of thin layers were prepared in a TMSAc mixture with carrier gases such as argon, oxygen, or methane. The prepared plasma polymers were extensively characterized. Characterization includes analyses of structure and chemical composition by several spectroscopic techniques, analyses of layer surfaces by microscopic techniques, and analyses of mechanical and optical properties. The main emphasis was placed on finding mutual relationships between the parameters of the deposition process and the resulting properties of the developed plasma polymers.