Paper Title
Dewetting Behavior of Hydrogen Bonded Polymer Complex Film under Basic Vapor Condition

Abstract
Hydrogen-bonded polymer complex films with the thickness ranging from 50 nm to 2400 nm were prepared by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). The dewetting behavior of PVPON/PAA films under basic vapor condition was investigated. It was found that the dewetting occurred at solid-liquid interface, and the typical morphologies such as holes, irregular cellular structure, and droplets were observed. Optical microscope was combined with confocal laser scanning microscopy to find that after basic vapor the hydrogen-bonded PVPON/PAA films undergo morphological transition from micro pores to droplets which are throughout the whole surface of the film. Results obtained from FTIR spectroscopy further confirms that PAA is ionized in response to the basic vapor treatment as a function of exposure time. Reflective spectroscopy was applied to further characterize the morphology evolution on the film surface. Key Words - Hydrogen-Bonding, Polymer Complex, Dewetting.