Surface Characterization of Air Plasma Treated Poly Vinylidene Fluoride and Poly Methyl Methacrylate Films

In this investigation, the surface modification of poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) film induced by air plasma has been investigated using contact angle measurement, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Plasma treatment affects the polymer surfaces to an extent of several hundreds to several thousand angstroms deep, and the bulk properties of the polymer substrate are never modified because of its low penetration range. Plasma surface treatment also offers the advantage of greater chemical flexibility. The plasma exposure leads to weight loss and changes in the chemical composition of the polymer film surfaces. The contact angle of water shows decrease in surface wettability of PVDF and PMMA as the treatment time increases. The improvement in adhesion was studied by measuring T-peel strength. In addition, printability of plasma treated PVDF and PMMA was studied by cross test method. It was found that printability increases considerably for plasma treatment of short duration. Surface energy and surface roughness can be directly correlated to the improvement in the aforementioned surface related properties. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 49:808-818, 2009. (c) 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers