This book explores nanometer-scale urethane layers formed through gas phase molecular layer deposition, focusing specifically on their formation on the native surfaces of aluminum and copper. It assesses the layer chemistry, morphology, and stability and reports on new observations that alcohol monomers adhere weakly and desorb rapidly. The diisocyanate monomer forms stable layers due to the isocyanate groups forming carbamate links with hydroxide groups on the metal oxides. Sequential deposition of isocyanate and alcohol monomers reveals specific properties. The topography is consistently rough and metal-specific, depending on the type of alcohol and deposition sequence. At moderate temperatures, short-chained urethane oligomers form instead of a crosslinked network. Raising the temperature after deposition intensifies urethane formation, resulting in both homogenized topology and improved solvent resilience of the deposits. The results highlight the limitations of monomer monolayer deposition. Further adjustments to the deposition parameters and improvements to the setup are proposed.

This book provides materials scientists and engineers with new and detailed information on the preparation procedure for ultra-thin urethane layers. It advances their understanding of advanced materials and contributes to the development and optimization of various technological applications.

Wulff Possart held the Chair for Adhesion and Interphases in Polymers at the Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany, before retirement in 2019. Professor Possart spent his research career at the Academy of Sciences of the GDR, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials in Bremen, and at Saarland University. His scientific work focuses on mechanisms of fundamental adhesion, preparation, and properties of thin organic and polymer films, interphase chemistry, polymer dynamics at phase boundaries, and the ageing and durability of polymer thin films and interphases.

Prof Possart has authored more than 158 scientific publications and published three books. He has received prestigious scientific awards from the Adhesion Societies in Great Britain, the US, and France as well as multiple guest professorships in France, the honorary professorship from the Heilongjiang Academy of Science, and the visiting professorship at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology in China.

Frank Fug is an engineer within the prevention department and a member of the occupational disease board of the Association d’assurance accident in Luxembourg. Dr.-Ing. Fug spent his research career at the Chair for Adhesion and Interphases in Polymers at Saarland University under the supervision of Professor Possart. His scientific work focuses on the preparation and characterization of thin and ultra-thin polymer layers from diluted solutions and of monomer deposits from the gas phase including interphase chemistry and adhesion mechanisms. Dr. Fug has published more than 20 scientific papers and conference contributions.