Surface characterization of polyethylene films modified by gaseous plasma

Of the several techniques available for surface modification, plasma processing has proved to be very appropriate. The low temperature plasma is a soft radiation source and it affects the material only over a few hundred angstroms deep, the bulk properties remaining unaffected. Plasma surface treatment also offers the advantage of greater chemical flexibility. The improvement in adhesion was studied by measuring T-peel strength. In addition, printability of plasma-treated PE films was studied by cross test method. It was found that printability increases considerably for plasma treatment of short duration. It was therefore thought of as interesting to study the surface composition and morphology by contact angle measurement, ESCA, and AIM. Surface energy and surface roughness can be directly correlated to the improvement in above-mentioned surface-related properties. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.