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Surface chemistry of nitrogen plasma‐treated poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalate): XPS, HREELS and static SIMS analysis
Author(s) -
Gerenser L. J.,
Grace J. M.,
Apai G.,
Thompson P. M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9918(200001)29:1<12::aid-sia687>3.0.co;2-7
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , chemistry , static secondary ion mass spectrometry , amide , nitrogen , polymer , polymer chemistry , ethylene , secondary ion mass spectrometry , population , analytical chemistry (journal) , organic chemistry , chemical engineering , ion , demography , sociology , engineering , catalysis
Plasma treatments typically affect only the outer few nanometers of a polymer surface and produce a complex mixture of surface functionalities. For a given plasma gas, the population of plasma‐induced surface functionalities is influenced by several plasma parameters (power, pressure and residence time) and the chemical structure of the polymer. We have done a systematic investigation of the effect of these plasma parameters on the surface chemistry of a nitrogen plasma‐modified polyester: poly(ethylene‐2,6‐naphthalate) (PEN). The surface chemistry was characterized with a combination of surface‐sensitive spectroscopies; x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high‐resolution electron energy‐loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and static secondary ion mass spectrometry (static SIMS). We have found that nitrogen plasma treatment incorporates up to 13 at.% nitrogen in the upper 5 nm of PEN and disrupts both the ester groups and the naphthalene rings. Disruption of the naphthalene rings produces an aliphatic‐like species and disruption of the ester groups produces either isolated carbonyl groups or, upon reaction with nitrogen, amide groups. The incorporated nitrogen is primarily in the form of amine and amide groups. Both pressure and dose were found to affect the degree of disruption of the polymer surface, the amount of incorporated nitrogen and the relative population of amine and amide groups. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.