Fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer coating for the stability enhancement of electroactive and photoactive systems

The effectiveness of radio frequency sputtered fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) for the stability enhancement of electroactive and photoactive systems was investigated. Two kinds of electroactive polymer systems, polyaniline (PANI) coated low density polyethylene (LDPE) film and PANI-viologen assembly, were tested. In both cases, a sputtered FEP coating of <10 nm in thickness significantly enhanced the electrical stability of the films in water. The enhancement of the electrical stability of the PANI-LDPE film was also achieved in basic aqueous solution of pH up to 12 with a FEP coating of 40-50 nm in thickness. The deposition of a FEP coating on the photoactive viologen system (viologen grafted on LDPE film) prolonged its photochromic effect by inhibiting the diffusion of oxygen, and hence the reoxidation of the highly colored viologen radical cations to the dication state