Date Thesis Awarded
5-2010
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Chemistry
Advisor
David W. Thompson
Committee Members
Christopher J. Abelt
Gary Rice
Clay Clemens
Abstract
This study attempted to improve upon a previously reported route to room-temperature metallization of a polyimide substrate. The silver(I)-triflate complex used to dope the polymer was replaced with a silver(I)-hexafluoroacetylacetone complex to remove the possibility that residual triflic acid would compromise the structural integrity of the polymer film. The results were initially very promising, showing conductivity and reflectivity values comparable or improved with the new complex versus the old. Furthermore, cracking observed with the triflate films did not occur. The conductivity was modeled as a function of several parameters allowing the entire metallization process to be optimized. Though macroscopic characterization suggested the two films were similar in nature, microscopy revealed significant differences between films from the two complexes. SEM showed a more textured surface for the Ag-HFA, suggesting more nucleation sites. TEM, however, showed that the Ag-HFA films have thin silver layers, indicating that some silver remains unreduced. Thus, it appears that there is a ligand effect in this process, and hence many new silver complexes and salts can now be studied.
Recommended Citation
Stukenbroeker, Tyler, "Formation of Highly Electrically Conductive Surface-Silvered Polyimide Films Under Exceptionally Mild Conditions" (2010). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 666.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/666
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Comments
Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.