Nitrogen Plasma Modification and Chemical Derivatization of Polyethylene Surfaces - An In Situ Study Using FTIR-ATR Spectroscopy

Chemical derivatization reactions of nitrogen plasma-treated surfaces with aromatic aldehydes, such as the prototypic 4-trifluoromethyl-benzaldehyde (TFBA), have for a long time been considered selective for primary amines. Results of an in situ study using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy challenge the validity of this assumption: Modification of polyethylene surfaces by afterglows of dielectric barrier discharges in nitrogen-hydrogen mixtures with subsequent hydrogen/deuterium exchange or TFBA derivatization suggests that the latter does not follow the commonly assumed reaction scheme.