| Nanoscale materials such as polymer nanofibers and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have unique mechanical, electrical and chemical properties. Polymer nanofibers and carbon nanotubes are widely studied for their use in filtration, tissue scaffolding, as catalyst supports, and are also used together as composite materials for reinforcement and increased conductivity among other uses. The functionalization of these materials is sometimes required to further enhance their properties for purposes such as sensor applications, increased biocompatibility, chemical resistance, and improved mechanical performance.;A variety of methods have been used to functionalize polymers and carbon nanotubes including wet chemical methods and vapor deposition methods. In this study, we focus on using atomic layer deposition (ALD) for the deposition of thin metal oxide films. Atomic layer deposition is a vapor phase method utilizing sequential self-limiting reactions to deposit uniform films with near monolayer control over thickness. The use of ALD with polymers and carbon nanotubes has been widely studied to understand growth mechanisms on these substrates. The work presented investigates unique methods of coating and containing carbon nanotubes for ALD which can also be used for other nanopowder materials. We also explore the effect of these thin films on the bulk mechanical properties of polymer films and nanofibers including the effect the substrate chemistry, precursor chemistry, and processing parameters. A key conclusion from our studies is that the ALD processing conditions and substrate chemistry have a great impact on the surface and subsurface growth of the resulting film and the mechanical performance of the substrate. |
