Novel method for polymer thin film preparation: Spray deposition of highly diluted polymer solutions

A spray deposition method is proposed as a novel way to prepare organic thin films. In this method, a highly diluted solution of a functional organic material, such as a π-conjugated polymer, is nebulized into air and concentrated under a controlled evaporation condition. The resulting aerosol is transported by a carrier gas and deposited onto a solid substrate. We successfully prepared a thin film of a poly-p-phenylenevinylene derivative from a highly diluted solution at the concentration of 10^-4 wt% and fabricated an electroluminescent device exhibiting surface emission.