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Preferential enrichment of chemistry at polymer surfaces
Author(s) -
Lopez Leonardo C.,
Dwight David W.
Publication year - 1988
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/app.1988.070360611
Subject(s) - x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , crystallinity , chlorotrifluoroethylene , polymer , ethylene , crystallization , oligomer , copolymer , materials science , polymer chemistry , chemical composition , chemical engineering , chemistry , texture (cosmology) , crystallography , composite material , organic chemistry , catalysis , image (mathematics) , tetrafluoroethylene , artificial intelligence , computer science , engineering
The preferential enrichment of specific chemical groups that occur at the surface of three classes of polymers was studied by means of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA). The material variables included bulk chemical composition, degree of crystallinity, and crosslinking. It was found that XPS is capable of detecting PET cyclic oligomers that were forced to the surface during crystallization. A new PET surface texture was observed by SEM on PET surfaces from which the oligomer crystals were extracted. A crystalline 1 : 1 alternating copolymer of ethylene/chlorotrifluoroethylene presented a preferential arrangement of ethylene segments closer to the surface relative to the chlorotrifluoroethylene groups. A small amount of contamination strongly affected that surface composition. In linear segmented polyurethanes, enrichment of the surfaces with soft segments occurred. However, this segregation seemed inhibited by crosslinking.