ABSTRACT
Growth mechanism refers to the chemical reaction mechanism of small molecules (monomers) reacting to increase the size of molecules. Chain growth polymerization, step growth polymerization, and the like are growth mechanisms of conventional polymerization. How chemically reactive species are created in glow discharge of organic molecules is described in Chapter 4. Whether or not such reactive species lead to the formation of polymeric material is another issue, which is the topic of growth mechanisms. Chemical species found in gas phase analysis of glow discharge are often termed ‘‘precursors’’ of glow discharge polymerization without examining if such species participate in polymer formation. Without knowing the growth mechanisms of glow discharge polymerization, all precursors could at best, be, building blocks of ‘‘black box’’ polymerization. Luminous chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) does not proceed by black box polymerization.
