Polymer-based nucleation for chemical vapour deposition of diamond

Chemical vapour deposition of diamond on foreign substrates is hindered due to its high surface energy. Therefore, nucleation treatment has to be employed to initialize the formation of diamond crystals. This article deals with diamond growth on silicon substrates coated with three types of polymers: (i) polystyrene (PS), (ii) polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), and (iii) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were applied in different forms, i.e., microspheres (PS, PLGA), monolayers (PLGA), multilayers (PLGA, PLGA/PS), and composites with embedded diamond nanoparticles (PLGA, PVA). Thin polymers and microsphere monolayers did not contribute to the diamond nucleation and/or growth. A thicker continuous polymer film (>750 nm) or thin polymer/microsphere layer led to a homogeneous and dense formation of diamond grains. In the case of nucleation using polymer composites, where the thin polymer film serves as a 3D carrier matrix for embedded diamond nanoparticles, a comparable nucleation density to the well-established ultrasonic seeding method was achieved. (c) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016, 133, 43688.