Functional Thin Films Lab (FTFL) led by Professor Sung Gap Im utilizes a new polymer deposition method, initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) for developing novel thin film materials and structures. iCVD is a process that can deposit functional polymer films with the exceptional compositional control and conformality. Moreover, the iCVD method is damage-free to the thermally- and solvent-sensitive substrates, including paper, fabric, and membranes. The solvent-free process provides many interesting coatings of anti-microbial, superhydrophobic, functionalizable, electrically insulating, and biocompatible polymers without damaging the substrates. With this versatile tool, FTFL is exploiting the possibility of the functional polymer coatings to develop next-generation device applications. FTFL is focusing on three major areas of
     1) biomaterials for tissue engineering
     2) electronic devices
     3) surface modification of porous materials.
   FTFL is also continuously pursuing the establishment of the iCVD method as a platform technology, and endeavoring to make the process compatible with mass-production.