Parylene Protection Coatings for Thin Film V[TCNE]x Room Temperature Magnets

The magnetic and electrical properties of chemical vapor deposited V[TCNE]x magnetic films rapidly degrade (<1 min) in the presence of oxygen and water. V[TCNE]x magnetic films coated with ~8 (mu)m of Parylene C maintain their magnetic properties for more than 7 h after being exposed to the atmosphere. A subsequent overcoating of the 2.2-(mu)m Parylenecoated films with a 0.1-(mu)m layer of gold provides protection for at least 14 h. A 2-(mu)m Parylene C coating also reduces the rate of conductivity degradation by 2 orders of magnitude at 300 K.