Altering a polymer surface chemical structure by an ion-assisted reaction

Abstract

A new surface modification technique, the so-called ion-assisted reaction (TAR), has been developed; such modification of polymer surfaces offers many industrial applications. The addition of new functional groups on polymer surfaces and permanent hydrophilic polymer surfaces (water contact angle below 30degrees and surface energy 60-70 mJ/m(2)) have been accomplished by TAR treatment. The formation of functional groups is significantly dependent on the flow rate of the reactive gas, the irradiating ion dose, and the ion beam energy. Improvements in wettability and surface energy are primarily attributed to the increase of polar characteristics due to the formation of functional groups such as -(C=O), -(C=O)-O-, -(C-O)-, etc. The characteristics of the TAR treatment have been reviewed, with outstanding results regarding the wettability and adhesion of various polymers such as PMMA, PC, PP, PS, PI, PVDF, and PTFE.