Onset of thermal degradation in poly(p-phenylene vinylene) films deposited by chemical vapor deposition

We report on the thermal degradation characteristics of heat treated poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) films deposited using chemical vapor deposition. It was found that no decrease in the thickness of the films (110 nm) occurred after isothermal heat treatment in vacuum at 450 °C for up to 1 h, while films treated at 500 °C for 1 h decreased to 70% of their original thickness. In situ mass spectrometry during heat treatment of the film at 500 °C showed the release of significant amounts of material including toluene and xylene ion fragments. However, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows no significant change in bond structure, indicating that the decrease in film thickness after heat treatment is due to release of material and densification, not crosslinking or bond breaking.