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Surface properties and the stability of poly(ethylene terephtalate) films treated in plasmas of helium‐oxygen mixtures
Author(s) -
Placinta G.,
ArefiKhonsari F.,
Gheorghiu M.,
Amouroux J.,
Popa G.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19971114)66:7<1367::aid-app15>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - helium , oxygen , materials science , ethylene , plasma , chemical engineering , poly ethylene , composite material , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , nuclear physics , engineering , catalysis
In this work, the surface treatment of poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) films in a low frequency (70 kHz) discharge in helium‐oxygen mixtures is investigated. Optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry are used to analyze the gas phase. Surface properties are analyzed via the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique and contact angle measurements. The treatment conditions are optimized in order to obtain a surface functionalization, which would show a reduced ageing effect. The stability of the treated surface via the crosslinking process seems to be closely correlated to the presence of the helium metastable species in the discharge. A very good stability with the ageing time is obtained for samples treated in gaseous mixtures that contain less than 5% O 2 , conditions for which the oxidized polymeric structure seems to be formed on a reinforced crosslinked layer. The very efficient loss of He excited species, for amounts of O 2 higher than a few percent, affects the surface crosslinking. For high quantities of oxygen introduced in the reactor (more than about 50%), a balance is established between the introduction of oxygenated groups and the ablation of the surface. In this case, the surface degradation has, as a consequence, the ageing effect. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 66: 1367–1375, 1997