Structural Formation Features of Poly(p-xylylene)–Cadmium Sulfide Nanocomposites

Abstract

Films from polymer poly(p-xylylene) based nanocomposites with cadmium sulfide (CdS) as a filler are studied via X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. The films are synthesized through the surface-initiated vapor deposition polymerization of p-xylene as a monomer with CdS. The films are ~0.2, ~0.5, ~1, and ~1.5 µm thick and contain 5 to 90 vol % CdS. It is shown that in such films, CdS nanoparticles can be both X‑ray amorphous with an oriented crystalline wurtzite-type (size, ~30 nm) or random closest packed (RCP) (size, ~9 nm) structure, depending on the thickness and content of filler. The polymer matrix is X-ray amorphous in most films and oriented in some films. Oxygen-containing components are revealed in many films, due apparently to their partial oxidation in air after synthesis. The effect these components can have on the structuring of CdS nanoparticles is discussed.