Parylene is an important class of polymer thin film that has wide-ranging applications due to its well-recognized properties, such as low-dielectric constant, biocompatibility, and exceptional barrier properties. Here, we studied the deposition of parylene nanofibers by template-based and template-free methods, which combine both vapor deposition polymerization and oblique angle deposition. A comparative study of two approaches based on surface characterization techniques is presented. These nanofibers, deposited by both approaches, have potential applications in catalysis, biodetection, and biomedical coatings. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.