Gas aggregation cluster source based on planar magnetron was used for deposition of fluorocarbon nanocluster films. The films possess a high roughness with a size of nanoclusters estimated to be about 30 nm in average.
Their chemical structure was found to resemble that of a conventional bulk polytetrafluoroethylene which was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The fluorine to carbon elemental ratio was found to be 1.95 with 86% of CF2 structural units.
The deposited films revealed super-hydrophobic character with values of water contact angle reaching over 170 degrees.