V001 / JSI / T900

News Archive

Researchers from the Department of Condensed Matter Physics (Venkata. S. R. Jampani, Miha Škarabot and Miha Ravnik) in collaboration with colleagues from Universities of Ljubljana, Sorbonne, Siegen and Luxembourg reported on the synthesis of water-based templating nanoscale thin films in Advanced Materials. These films are made from superglue (cyanoacrylate monomers) vapours and grow with a controlled rate of several nanometres per minute. Superglues (cyanoacrylate monomers) are otherwise well-known for their rapid reactivity, forming polycyanoacrylate chains that bond materials instantly. On the contrary, in this report the modulated polymerization of cyanoacrylates was introduced, which enable controlled growth of thin polymer films. Furthermore, the shape and color of the film are precisely controlled by the polymerization kinetics, wetting conditions, and/or exposure to patterned light. This study introduces simple, versatile and an eco-friendly approach analogous to existing chemical vapor deposition techniques. This approach facilitates the creation of water-templated films for gas encapsulation, liquid packaging, and in-situ chemical/biological cargo packaging.