ABSTRACT
In DC cathodic polymerization, the activation of reactive species and deposition of polymers mainly occur in the cathode glow (molecular dissociation glow, which touches the cathode surface). In a glow discharge initiated by an alternating current (AC) power source, e.g., 40 kHz, the electrode can be visualized as an alternating cathode in half of the discharge time and anode in another half. In radio frequency, the oscillating electrons in the glow discharge are mainly responsible for the creation of polymer-forming species. As a result, in RF discharge the molecular dissociation glow no longer touches the electrode surface but remains very close to the electrode surface. Consequently, the role of electrode with respect to the deposition onto the electrode changes dramatically (see Chapters 3 and 4).
