A NEXAFS examination of unsaturation in plasma polymers of allylamine and propylamine

Near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) has been employed to provide insight into the chemical nature of nitrogen in deposits formed from plasmas of allylamine and propylamine. The nitrogen K-edge spectra of these materials unambiguously demonstrate the presence of significant quantities of sp or sp(2) hybridized nitrogen. This finding, in conjunction with carbon K-edge spectra, strongly indicates that there is a substantial level of dehydrogenation during the plasma polymerization process resulting in the formation of imine groups and, at high power, nitrile groups in addition to sp(3) hybridized amines. Comparison with standard polymers indicates that amide formation (following a few days exposure to atmosphere) is negligible. These findings suggest that the hydrolysis of aminated plasma polymers may be important in their long-term aging.