Gas-Phase UV Grafting on Surface-Initiated ROMP Coatings for Improved Stability

We propose to use gas phase reaction of dilute small molecular weight thiol species (undesired byproducts of petrochemical processing) to stabilize ring]opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) coatings. ROMP is used to form thick, dense polymer coatings with unparralelled surface]initiated film growth kinetics. These ROMP films are highly unstable owing to the unsaturation of the polymer backbone. We propose to introduce methane thiol in low concentrations and use UV light to photocatalyze the addition of a methyl thioether to the polymer backbone in a solventless, zero waste process.