Controlled and tunable fabrication of polymer thin films

Abstract

Polymers and methods for electrodeposition conformal thin film and articles associated therewith are disclosed herein. An example polymer includes a non-conductive polymer backbone and plural electrochemically active crosslinker groups covalently attached to the polymer backbone. An example method of forming a conformal polymer thin film on a conductive substrate includes dissolving a polymer in an electrolytic solution to form a deposition solution. The conductive substrate is immersed in the deposition solution and an electrochemical potential is applied to the conductive substrate to induce electrochemical activation of the crosslinker groups. Electrochemical activation of the crosslinker groups results in surface-confined crosslinking and self-limiting deposition of the polymer to form the conformal polymer thin film on the surfaces of the conductive substrate. The polymers, methods, and articles may be useful for applications using functional coatings, for example, interfaces in batteries, catalytic activity in thermo- and electro-catalytic conversions, or sorption for purification.