Interaction of non-equilibrium oxygen plasma with sintered graphite

Samples made from sintered graphite with grain size of about 10 mu m were exposed to highly non-equilibrium oxygen plasma created in a borosilicate glass tube by an electrodeless RF discharge. The density of charged particles was about 7 x 10(15) m(-3) and the neutral oxygen atom density 6 x 10(21) m(-3). The sample temperature was determined by a calibrated IR detector while the surface modifications were quantified by XPS and water drop techniques. The sample surface was rapidly saturated with carbonyl groups. Prolonged treatment of samples caused a decrease in concentration of the groups what was explained by thermal destruction. Therefore, the created functional groups were temperature dependent. The heating of samples resulted in extensive chemical interaction between the O atoms and samples what was best monitored by decreasing of the O atom density with increasing sample temperature. The saturation with functional groups could be restored only after cooling down of the samples and repeated short plasma treatment at low temperature. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.