Low pressure polymer precursor process for synthesis of hard glassy carbon and diamond films

Synthesis of hard carbon and diamond films at low pressure using polymer as a precursor (LPPP) is presented. The polymer [C₆H₅C]_n (phenylcarbyne) consists of randomly constructed rigid network of tetrahedral phenylcarbyne units, which is soluble in organic solvents (tetrahydrofuran, benzene, etc.). The solution can be applied to various substrates by the spinning, dipping or draining, resulting in a polymer film which can cover complex shapes with large area. The polymer film can be treated by using either the thermal method or plasma at a low pressure to synthesize hard glassy carbon or diamond films. Under heat treatment, the polymer is converted into glassy carbon, whilst under plasma treatment, crystalline diamond can be grown. The glassy carbon and diamond films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD).