Composite TiO2/hydrocarbon plasma polymer films prepared by magnetron sputtering of TiO2 and poly(propylene)

This study describes the preparation and the properties of TiOx/hydrocarbon plasma polymer composite films. Films are prepared by simultaneous sputtering in argon from two balanced magnetrons equipped with TiO2 and PP targets. The resulting films exhbit a wide range of properties in depencence on the preparation conditions - primarily on the ratio of the deposition rates r(TiOx)/r(PP) and thus the power delivered to the magnetrons. The deposition process is monitored by optical emission spectroscopu. The composition and morphology of the composite films have been analyzed by means of RBS/ERDA, FTIR, AFM, and TEM. Optical properties of the films are studied in the UV and visible range of the spectrum. Finally, an attempt has been made to express the amount of inorganic phase present in the organic matrix in terms of a filling factor.