Water‐Templated Growth of Interfacial Superglue Polymers for Tunable Thin Films and In Situ Fluid Encapsulation

Thin polymer films (TPFs) are indispensable elements in numerous technologies ranging from liquid encapsulation to biotechnology to electronics. However, their production typically relies on wet chemistry involving organic solvents or chemical vapor deposition, necessitating elaborate equipment and often harsh conditions. Here, an eco-friendly, fast, and facile synthesis of water-templated interfacial polymers based on cyanoacrylates (superglues, CAs) that yield thin films with tailored properties is demonstrated. Specifically, by exposing a cationic surfactant-laden water surface to cyanoacrylate vapors, surfactant-modulated anionic polymerization produces a manipulable thin polymer film with a thickness growth rate of 8 nm min