Long-term change in the target achievement rate of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVES: The goal achievement rate of patients' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and prescribing pattern of statin potency should be continuously monitored in a real-world clinical setting. This study aimed to describe the comprehensive status of LDL-C management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients first diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) between 2009 and 2018 who were followed for 24 months. LDL-C levels, its changes from baseline, and intensity of statin prescribed were evaluated four times during follow-up. Potential factors associated with goal achievement were also identified. RESULTS: The study included 25,605 patients with CVDs. At diagnosis, the goal achievement rates of the LDL-C level were 58.4, 25.2, and 10.0% for targets of < 100, < 70, and < 55 mg/dL, respectively. The proportion of moderate- and high-intensity statin prescription significantly increased over time (all p < 0.01). Nevertheless, LDL-C levels significantly decreased at 6 months and increased at 12 and 24 months following therapy compared with baseline values. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (15 - 29 and < 15 mL/min/1.73m2) and accompanying diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with the goal achievement rate. CONCLUSION: Despite the need for active LDL-C management, the goal achievement rate and prescribing pattern were insufficient after 6 months. In cases with severe comorbidities, the goal attainment rate significantly increased; however, a more aggressive statin prescription was needed even in patients without diabetes or with normal GFR. The prescription rate for high-intensity statins increased over time, but was still low. In conclusion, physicians should aggressively prescribe statins to increase the goal achievement rate in patients with CVDs.

Treatment pattern in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: a population-based cohort study in South Korea.

INTRODUCTION: The treatment landscape of postmenopausal osteoporosis (OP) in an Asian population is yet to be explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to explore treatment patterns and characteristics associated with treatment interruption in postmenopausal women diagnosed with OP between 2008 and 2014. Treatment pattern assessment included the initial distribution of OP medications and treatment interruption rate according to the treatment groups during a 3-year follow-up period. We used multivariate logistic regression to estimate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to identify factors associated with treatment interruption. RESULTS: Of 21,813 patients, 87.9% initiated oral bisphosphonates (BP), followed by ibandronate intravenous (IV; 5.4%), selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs; 5.2%), pamidronate IV (1.4%) and zoledronic acid (0.06%). Treatment interruption was most notable in the first year of treatment, with cumulative treatment interruption rates highest for oral BP (76.3%) and lowest for pamidronate IV (50.5%). Compared to oral BP users, users of ibandronate IV (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.30-0.39), pamidronate IV (0.49, 0.39-0.63), zoledronic acid (0.26, 0.09-0.77), and SERMs (0.50, 0.44-0.57) were less likely to interrupt treatment. Of characteristics assessed, presence of rheumatoid arthritis increased the odds of treatment interruption in ibandronate IV group (3.94, 2.12-7.33), and concomitant use of glucocorticoids for oral BP (1.11, 1.03-1.19) and pamidronate IV (2.04, 1.06-3.93) groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Given the frequent treatment interruptions across all OP medications, our findings on the factors associated with treatment interruption will serve to implement targeted interventions in reinforcing persistence to OP treatment.

Inner surface modification of ureteral stent polyurethane tubes based by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to reduce encrustation and biofilm formation.

Encrustation and/or biofilm formation in ureteral stents are major causes of obstruction and reduce the lifetime of a ureteral stent. In this study, the inner surfaces of polyurethane (PU) tubes (inner and outer diameters of 1.2 and 2.0 mm, respectively) were reformed with Ar, O2, and C2H2 gases using specialized plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition techniques for the first time. Then, the modified PU tubes were immersed in urine for 15 days, and the characteristics of the inner surfaces were analyzed. Depending on the modification procedure, the corresponding inner surface exhibited different chemical properties and different rates of encrustation and biofilm formation. For a hydrophilic surface treated with Ar and O2, encrustation and biofilm formation increased, while for the C2H2 coating, the development of encrustation and biofilm reduced by more than five times compared with the untreated bare PU tube. This study demonstrated that inner plasma surface modification of ureteral stents greatly enhances resistance to encrustation and biofilm formation.

Surface modification of polystyrene Petri dishes by plasma polymerized 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine for enhanced culturing and migration of bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Plasma surface modification is an effective method for changing material properties to control cell behavior on a surface. This study investigates the efficiency of a plasma polymerized 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine (ppTTDDA) film coated on a polystyrene (PS) Petri dish, which is a biocompatible surface with carbon- and oxygen-based chemical species. The adhesion, proliferation, and migration properties of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were profoundly enhanced in the ppTTDDA-coated PS Petri dishes without extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, when compared with the uncoated PS Petri dishes. These observations indicate that ppTTDDA-coated PS Petri dishes can directly interact with cells, regardless of cell adhesion molecules. The increased cell affinity was attributed to the high concentration of carboxyl group on the surface of the ppTTDDA film. Such a carboxyl surface showed an excellent ability to promote culturing of BAECs. Plasma surface modification techniques are effective in improving biocompatibility and provide a surface environment for cell culture.

Relation of Dielectric Constants and Chemical Structures of Low Dielectric Constant SiCOH Films Deposited by Using Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and Tetraethylorthosilicate Precursors.

In case of the conventional SiCOH films, a post-deposition process was used to make pores by vaporization of porogen (e.g., hydrocarbon) for decreasing the dielectric constant. However, the authors intended the deposition of the SiCOH films, which does not need the post-deposition process to form the pores by using the dual precursors having different structures. The octamethylcy-clotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) have different structures which were of the ring shape and the linear shape, respectively. The OMCTS and TEOS were used to fabricate the plasma polymerized low dielectric constant SiCOH film by using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system in this work. A ratio of OMCTS and TEOS was adjusted by controlling flow rates of precursor carrier gases into the process chamber. The SiCOH films, which were deposited with dual precursors, showed the very low dielectric constants (relative dielectric constant k 2.06 and 2.09) at plasma power of 10 W. All the fabricated SiCOH films showed the proper leakage current densities below 10-6 A/cm-2 at 1 MV/cm as the intermetallic dielectric material. The SiCOH films were investigated to study the relations between dielectric constants and chemical structures by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The formation of pores inside the SiCOH films was studied through the relation between Si-O-Si peaks, including network, suboxide and cage peaks, and the dielectric constant.

Duration of osteoporosis treatment to reduce the risk of subsequent osteoporotic fracture and all-cause mortality in elderly hip fracture patients in a Korean real-world study.

This study aimed to evaluate the association between treatment duration of osteoporosis medications and clinical outcomes of patients with hip fracture. We found that the risk of subsequent osteoporotic fractures and all-cause mortality showed a decreasing trend as the treatment duration of osteoporosis medications increased. PURPOSE: To assess the risk of subsequent osteoporotic fracture (SOF) and all-cause mortality (ACM) in elderly patients with hip fracture in South Korea and to evaluate the potential reduction in the risk of SOF and ACM with varying durations of osteoporosis treatment. METHODS: Newly diagnosed patients with hip fracture (age ≥ 60 years) who initiated osteoporosis medication within 3 months after the hip fracture from 2003-2014 were identified from the National Health Insurance Service-Senior cohort. The risk of SOF and ACM was estimated after the 1-year exposure-measurement period. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) were calculated for treatment duration of osteoporosis medications categorized as short-term treatment (ST, < 3 months), early discontinuation (ED, ≥ 3- < 6 months), late discontinuation (LD, ≥ 6- < 12 months), and treatment continuation (TC, ≥ 12 months). RESULTS: A total of 4,421 patients were included in the analysis. The 3-year cumulative incidence of SOF was 22.4%, 22.0%, 23.9%, and 21.6%, and that of 3-year ACM was 29.8%, 27.0%, 19.7%, and 18.9% in the ST, ED, LD, and TC groups, respectively. Compared with the ST group, the risk of SOF showed a decreasing trend in the TC group (aHR [95% CI], 0.77 [0.58-1.00]). The risk of ACM was significantly reduced in the LD (aHR 0.68 [0.57-0.82]) and TC (aHR 0.65 [0.50-0.84]) groups. CONCLUSION: These findings underscore the importance of early and continuous osteoporosis treatment for elderly patients with hip fracture to improve health outcomes. The benefits of long-term osteoporosis treatment should be discussed in clinical practice to improve overall health outcomes.

Change in Electrical/Mechanical Properties of Plasma Polymerized Low Dielectric Constant Films after Etching in CF4/O2 Plasma for Semiconductor Multilevel Interconnects.

As semiconductor chips have been integrated to enhance their performance, a low-dielectric-constant material, SiCOH, with a relative dielectric constant k ≤ 3.5 has been widely used as an intermetal dielectric (IMD) material in multilevel interconnects to reduce the resistance-capacitance delay. Plasma-polymerized tetrakis(trimethylsilyoxy)silane (ppTTMSS) films were created using capacitively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition with deposition plasma powers ranging from 20 to 60 W and then etched in CF4/O2 plasma using reactive ion etching. No significant changes were observed in the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of the ppTTMSS films after etching. The refractive index and dielectric constant were also maintained. As the deposition plasma power increased, the hardness and elastic modulus increased with increasing ppTTMSS film density. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra analysis showed that the oxygen concentration increased but the carbon concentration decreased after etching owing to the reaction between the plasma and film surface. With an increase in the deposition plasma power, the hardness and elastic modulus increased from 1.06 to 8.56 GPa and from 6.16 to 52.45 GPa. This result satisfies the hardness and elastic modulus exceeding 0.7 and 5.0 GPa, which are required for the chemical-mechanical polishing process in semiconductor multilevel interconnects. Furthermore, all leakage-current densities of the as-deposited and etched ppTTMSS films were measured below 10-6 A/cm2 at 1 MV/cm, which is generally acceptable for IMD materials.

Inner surface modification of polyurethane ureteral stents using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to improve the resistance to encrustation in a pig model.

PURPOSE: We developed a ureteral stent with a non-fouling inner surface using plasma micro-surface modification technology. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this stent in animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ureteral stents were placed in five Yorkshire pigs. A bare stent was inserted on one side and an inner surface-modified stent was inserted on the other side. Two weeks after stenting, laparotomy was performed to harvest the ureteral stents. The changes in the inner surface were grossly evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). In addition, if encrustation was observed, the components were analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Urine cultures were used for safety assessment. RESULTS: In all models, urine cultures did not show any bacterial growth before and after stenting, and stent-related complications were not identified. Hard materials were palpable in four bare models. Palpable material was not identified in the modified stent. Calcium oxalate dihydrate/uric acid stones were identified in two bare stents. In the SEM images with EDS, biofilm formation was confirmed in the bare stents. Biofilm formation was significantly less on the inner surface of the modified stent, and the intact surface of the modified stent was larger than that of the bare stent. CONCLUSIONS: The application of a specialized, plasma-enhanced, chemical vapor deposition technology to the inner surface of ureteral stents was safe and showed resistance to biofilm formation and encrustation.

First layer compression and transition to standing second layer of terephthalic acid on Cu(100).

Terephthalic acid on metal surfaces is a system of high interest for interfacial layers as well as for use in generating surface nanostructures by supramolecular self-assembly. Here we demonstrate structural transitions upon compression of the first layer as well as a significant transition from a flat lying chemisorbed first monolayer to a standing second layer. The second layer structure is stable at 150 °C, but a weakly bound state is observed to desorb molecularly below that temperature, likely a transient mobile state during annealing. Molecular resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy is complemented by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy in this study. These results provide general insight in the development of self-assembled organic thin films at surfaces, especially with regard to the nature of the metal/organic interface and growth transitions to maximize first layer packing and obtain a second layer that bridges commensurability with the substrate and a more bulk-like structure.

Enhanced culturing of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells on surface modified polystyrene Petri dishes fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received considerable attention as therapeutic cells for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, because of their ability to replace damaged cells or regenerate surrounding cells. There are many technical difficulties in the mass production of high-quality stem cells because the stem cells must maintain an efficient proliferative cell state during in vitro culture. The results of this study show that plasma surface-modification enhanced significantly the culture of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) on the polystyrene (PS) Petri dishes. Ar, O2 , pyrrole, and 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine (TTDDA) were used as the gas and/or precursors for plasma modification. Specifically, surfaces of PS Petri dishes, coated with plasma polymerized pyrrole (ppPy) and plasma polymerized TTDDA (ppTTDDA) were found to contain amine and carboxyl functional groups, respectively. Ar and O2 plasma-treated PS Petri dishes have similar culture abilities (±1.2 times) to commercially available tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) dishes, and PS Petri dishes coated with ppPy and ppTTDDA have significantly enhanced culture abilities (2.4 times) at 96 hr compared with TCPS dishes. Western blotting was performed using antibodies against stem cell marker proteins to confirm the stemness properties of stem cells, in the sense that the expressions of the antibody proteins such as CD44, CD73, and CD105 in plasma modified samples were similar to or higher than those in TCPS dishes.

Study on Effects of Carrier Gas Flow Rate on Properties of Low Dielectric Constant Film Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Using the Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane Precursor.

In semiconductor industry, low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films are widely used as inter-metal dielectric (IMD) material to reduce a resistance-capacitance delay, which could degrade performances of semiconductor chips. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system has been employed to fabricate the low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films. In this work, among various parameters (plasma power, deposition pressure, substrate temperature, precursor injection flow rate, etc.), helium carrier gas flow rate was used to modulate the properties of the low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films. Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (OMCTS) precursor and helium were injected into the process chamber of PECVD. And then SiCOH films were deposited varying helium carrier gas flow rate. As helium carrier gas flow rate increased from 1500 to 5000 sccm, refractive indices were increased from 1.389 to 1.428 with enhancement of mechanical strength, i.e., increased hardness and elastic modulus from 1.7 and 9.1 GPa to 3.3 and 19.8 GPa, respectively. However, the relative dielectric constant (k) value was slightly increased from 2.72 to 2.97. Through analysis of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, the effects of the helium carrier gas flow rate on chemical structure, were investigated. It was thought that the increase in helium carrier gas flow rate could affect the density with changes of chemical structure and composition. In conclusion, regulation of helium carrier gas flow rate can effectively modulate k values and mechanical strength, which is needed for IMD material in semiconductor fabrication possess.

Plasma Polymerized SiCOH Films from Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane by Dual Radio Frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition System.

We have fabricated porous plasma polymerized SiCOH (ppSiCOH) films with low-dielectric constants (low-k, less than 2.9), by applying dual radio frequency plasma in inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) system. We varied the power of the low radio frequency (LF) of 370 kHz from 0 to 65 W, while fixing the power of the radio frequency (RF) of 13.56 MHz. Although the ppSiCOH thin film without LF had the lowest k value, its mechanical strength is not high to stand the subsequent semiconductor processing. As the power of the LF was increased, the densities of ppSiCOH films became high, accordingly high in the hardness and elastic modulus, with quite satisfactory low-k value of 2.87. Especially, the ppSiCOH film, deposited at 35 W, exhibited the highest mechanical strength (hardness: 1.7 GPa, and elastic modulus: 9.7 GPa), which was explained by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Since the low-k material is widely used as an inter-layer dielectric insulator, good mechanical properties are required to withstand chemical mechanical polishing damage. Therefore, we suggest that plasma polymerized process based on the dual frequency can be a good candidate for the deposition of low-k ppSiCOH films with enhanced mechanical strength.

Effects of He/H2 Plasma Treatment on Properties of SiCOH Films Deposited with the 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7- Octamethyl-3,5-Bis(Trimethylsiloxy) Tetrasiloxane Precursor.

Low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films fabricated using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) are widely used as inter-metallic dielectric (IMD) layers in interconnects of semiconductor chips. In this work, SiCOH films were deposited with 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7-octamethyl-3,5-bis(trimethylsiloxy)tetrasiloxane (OMBTSTS), and plasma treatment was performed by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) system with mixture of He and H2. The values of relative dielectric constant (k) of the as-deposited SiCOH films ranged from 2.64 to 4.19. The He/H2 plasma treatment led to a reduction of the k values of the SiCOH films from 2.64-4.19 to 2.07-3.94. To investigate the impacts of the He/H2 plasma treatment on the SiCOH films, the chemical compositions and structures of the as-deposited and treated the SiCOH films were compared by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The experimental results indicate that the k value of the SiCOH films was decreased, there was a proportional increase in pore-related Si-O-Si structure, which is commonly called the cage structure with lager angle than 144°, after He/H2 plasma treatment. The He/H2 plasma treatment was considered to have reduced the k value by forming pores that could be represented by the cage structure. On the other hand, the leakage current density of the SiCOH films was slightly degraded by He/H2 plasma treatment, however, this was tolerable for IMD application. Concludingly the He/H2 plasma treated SiCOH film has the lowest relative dielectric constant (k~2.08) when the most highly hydrocarbon removal and cage structure formation increased.

Characterization of Bilayer Organic Solar Cells with Carbon Nanotubes Using Impedance Analysis.

Four organic solar cell (OSC) devices with the bilayer heterojunction architecture were investigated, where carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were doped within the acceptor layer. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the CNT-incorporated device with a concentration of 0.004 wt% is approximately 20% point higher than that of the reference one. As the concentration of CNTs became higher, the PCE of the devices deteriorated; this could be caused by the percolative connection of CNTs within the layer. The voltage dependence on the effective lifetime of the charge carriers, determined by Cole-Cole curves of the impedance analysis, was different for the reference and CNT-incorporating devices-the lifetime of the CNT-incorporated ones was shorter, possibly owing to the high local electric field near the CNTs. Controlling the concentration of CNTs below the critical concentration of percolation is a key factor in achieving high photovoltaic performance.

Assessing surface permeabilities from transient guest profiles in nanoporous host materials.

Easy come, easy go? Transport resistances on particle surfaces are important for mass transfer in nanoporous materials and bulk diffusion in crystals. Interference microscopy and IR micro-imaging are shown to be excellent tools for determining such transport resistances. By studying short-chain-length alkane guest molecules in crystals of the metal-organic framework compound Zn(tbip) a data collection of surface permeabilities is established.

Administration of oral fluoroquinolone and the risk of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: A nationwide population-based study in Korea.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between oral fluoroquinolones (FQ) and the risk of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) using a nationwide population-based study in Korea, designed to control for time-related bias. METHODS: As a nested case-control study within a cohort, the KNHIS-NSC 2002-2013 (Korean National Health Insurance Service National Sample Cohort) data used for the investigation. The subjects who visited an ophthalmologist were included in a cohort. Subjects with infectious ocular diseases, severe ocular trauma, and congenital diseases were excluded. Within the cohort, subjects who underwent surgery for RRD were defined as cases, and controls were matched by age group, sex, and cohort entry date using an incidence density sampling method. After investigating the exposure to oral FQ, the odds ratio was calculated by the FQ exposure rate of both groups and adjusted by the confounding factors of demography, health service utilization, and comorbidities. RESULTS: A total of 1,151 subjects in the case group and 11,470 subjects in the control group were included. There were intergroup differences in household income, numbers of ophthalmologic visits and drug prescriptions, events of intraocular surgeries, and prevalence of diabetes and degenerative myopia (all P's<0.05). The crude odds ratio of the total group was 1.06 (P = 0.53, 95% CI 0.88-1.28), and the odds ratio adjusted for all pre-defined confounders was 1.00 (P = 0.99, 95% CI 0.81-1.24). The crude and adjusted odds ratios were not showed statistical significance (all P's>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: By the nested case-control design, this study showed that oral administration of FQ was not associated with the increased risk of development of RRD.

The moisture-triggered controlled release of a natural food preservative from a microporous metal-organic framework.

In this work we demonstrate that allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a common food flavoring agent and food preservative, can be effectively captured by and released in a controlled manner from a microporous metal-organic framework (MOF). The extent of AITC-MOF interactions is quantitatively measured by orbital overlap population calculations. Controlled release experiments show that loaded AITC can be released by applying higher relative humidity. Further analysis reveals that the underlying mechanism of the controlled release is associated with the transformation of the MOF from a porous to a nonporous structure at high humidity. This study represents the first example of making use of MOF porosity in food preservation.

A new method for the evaluation of biodegradable plastic using coated cellulose paper.

A highly sensitive analytical method for evaluation of poly(L-lactide) (PLA), poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), and poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) degradability was developed using coated cellulose paper, prepared by penetration and adhesion of these plastics into/onto the cellulose paper. Enzymatic degradability of the obtained plastic coated papers was evaluated using various commercial proteases and lipases. PLA coated paper was highly susceptible to subtilisin and mammalian enzymes, alpha-chymotrypsin, elastase and trypsin. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the degradation of PLA coated paper using subtilisin and mammalian enzymes. Almost all lipase preparations degraded PCL and PHB coated papers but not PBS coated paper. The biodegradability of plastic coated paper was greater than that of plastic powder. The penetration of plastic into cellulose paper by coating improved the plastic degradability, and can be regulated easily.

Assessing guest diffusivities in porous hosts from transient concentration profiles.

Using the short-chain-length alkanes from ethane to n-butane as guest molecules, transient concentration profiles during uptake or release (via interference microscopy) and tracer exchange (via IR microimaging) in Zn(tbip), a particularly stable representative of a novel family of nanoporous materials (the metal organic frameworks), were recorded. Analyzing the spatiotemporal dependence of the profiles provides immediate access to the transport diffusivities and self-diffusivities, yielding a data basis of unprecedented reliability for mass transfer in nanoporous materials. As a particular feature of the system, self- and transport diffusivities may be combined to estimate the rate of mutual passages of the guest molecules in the chains of pore segments, thus quantifying departure from a genuine single-file system.

A comparative study of the polyaniline thin films produced by the cluster beam deposition and laser ablation methods.

Polyaniline (PANI) thin films have been prepared by applying the novel neutral and ionized cluster beam deposition (NCBD and ICBD) methods and the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique to the PANI samples of half-oxidized emeraldine base (EB-PANI) and protoemeraldine base forms in a high-vacuum condition. Characterization of the oxidation states and structural changes of pristine and doped thin films has been performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Spectroscopic measurements demonstrate that the dominant structure of NCBD and ICBD thin films corresponds to the reduced leucoemeraldine base state, whereas the chemical composition of PLD thin films depends critically on the laser fluence and the molecular weight of PANI target. The congruent deposition is only obtained for the PLD films deposited by the laser-induced decomposition of the low-molecular-weight targets in the low to intermediate fluence regime (below 100 mJ/cm2 with a pulse duration of 7 ns). The surface morphology examined by atomic force microscopy measurements shows that the cluster and laser beams are effective in producing smooth, uniform polymeric thin films. After I2 and HCl doping, the electrical conductivities of the NCBD, ICBD, and particularly PLD thin films are increased significantly. The higher conductivity of PLD films is ascribed to higher amounts of quinoid di-imine doping sites in the EB-PANI state, and the overall structure-conductivity characteristics are consistent with the spectroscopic observations.