Premium
Comparative study by XPS of nitrogen and oxygen implantation in different carbonaceous polymers using flowing nitrogen plasma
Author(s) -
Grimblot J.,
Mutel B.,
Moineau V.,
Colson T.,
Dessaux O.,
Goudmand P.
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 - 10.1002/1096-9918(200008)30:1<415::aid-sia823>3.0.co;2-c
Subject(s) - reactivity (psychology) , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , polymer , polystyrene , nitrogen , imine , polymer chemistry , oxygen , chemistry , polyethylene , polypropylene , hydrogen , materials science , organic chemistry , chemical engineering , catalysis , engineering , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Six different carbonaceous polymers—polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyoxymethylene (POM), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—are submitted to a flowing nitrogen post‐discharge plasma under similar experimental conditions. The nitrogen and oxygen implantations are measured by XPS after a short air exposure of the treated specimens. The reactivity of these different carbonaceous polymers is compared from the carbon density variation [Δ C = ( X ′ C − X C )/ X C ] within the XPS analysed depth, where X ′ i and X i refer to the atomic percentage of atom i in the treated and in the initial polymer, respectively. Five polymers have a negative Δ C value according to the order Δ C PET <Δ C PP ≈ Δ C PE ≈ Δ C PS < Δ C PMMA , implying that nitrogen and oxygen incorporation increases. On the contrary, POM has a positive Δ C value. The comparison between PE, PP and PS shows that substituting hydrogen in PE by a methyl (to give PP) or a phenyl (to give PS) group does not create any large differences in terms of reactivity. The major nitrogenated group is terminal imine. Substituting hydrogen by an ester group (to give PMMA) decreases the polymer reactivity and the ester group remains unchanged. Imine is once again the major nitrogen‐containing function. The comparison between PE and POM shows that the polymer chain structure has a considerable influence on the reactivity; PET appears to be the polymer that is able to incorporate the maximum nitrogen functions, distributed between amine and imine terminal groups. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.