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arXiv · 1605.09725

Competitive and synergistic effects between excimer VUV radiation and O radicals on the etching mechanisms of polyethylene and fluoropolymer surfaces treated by atmospheric He-O$_2$ post-discharge

Thierry Dufour·Julie Hubert·Nicolas Vandencasteele·Pascal Viville·Roberto Lazzaroni·François Reniers
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Abstract

Among various surface modification techniques, plasma can be used as a source for tailoring the surface properties of diverse materials. HDPE and fluoropolymer surfaces have been treated by the post-discharge of an atmospheric RF-plasma torch supplied with helium and oxygen gases. The plasma-treated surfaces were characterized by measurements of mass losses, water contact angles, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. This experimental approach correlated with an optical characterization of the plasma phase allowed us to propose etching mechanisms occurring at the post-discharge/polymer interface. We discuss how competitive and synergistic effects can result from the oxidation and/or the roughening of the surface but also from the excimer VUV radiation, the He metastable species and the O radicals reaching the plasma-polymer interface.

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Thierry Dufour, Julie Hubert, Nicolas Vandencasteele, Pascal Viville, Roberto Lazzaroni, François Reniers. 2016-05-02. Competitive and synergistic effects between excimer VUV radiation and O radicals on the etching mechanisms of polyethylene and fluoropolymer surfaces treated by atmospheric He-O$_2$ post-discharge. https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727%2F46%2F31%2F315203

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