Initiated Chemical Vapor Deposition (iCVD) is a process developed by MIT’s Karen Gleason that enhances traditional Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) by allowing low-temperature deposition, which is suitable for delicate materials like organic polymers. This advancement permits uniform coatings of metals and polymers on various surfaces, including contoured ones, and enables the use of insoluble precursors, resulting in stronger bonds between coatings and substrates. CVD technology, which dates back to prehistoric soot formation, is now integral to manufacturing, applied in products ranging from electronics to packaging. Gleason’s innovations have paved the way for applications such as printable solar cells, a refinement of a 1950s method traditionally used at high temperatures. The CVD process uses initiators and monomers vaporized in a vacuum to form polymers on substrates, which has given rise to new materials that cannot be produced through conventional methods. Additionally, high-temperature applications of CVD continue to progress, notably in producing graphene and carbon nanotubes, expanding potential uses in various industries. Gleason’s discovery in the 1990s that CVD could operate without plasma has been pivotal in advancing the field and stimulating further research in polymer-based CVD.
