Stable polystyrene glass films through PVD and UV radiation

Stable glasses have proved to be an extraordinary type of material with enhanced density and exceptional kinetic stability compared to normal glasses. So far stable glasses prepared through physical vapor deposition (PVD) have been generally limited to organic small molecules such as indomethacin. We have recently employed PVD to make stable oligomeric glasses. In this study, we extend our capacity to make high molecular weight polystyrene stable glass by using oligomeric stable glass as a starting point. We do this by crosslinking the stable oligomeric glasses by dehydrogenation reaction under ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Depending on the degree of crosslinking, the resulting stable glass can have significantly higher molecular weight and kinetic stability. The sample molecular weight distribution is characterized by MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization), and the stable glass properties are characterized by ellipsometry.