The effect of glow discharge plasma on the surface properties of Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film

In the present work, Poly (ethylene terephthalate) films have been exposed to glow discharge air plasma to improve their surface properties for technical applications. Surface energy values have been estimated using contact angle value for different exposure times and different test liquids. Surface composition and morphology of the films were analyzed by XPS and AFM. Crystallinity of the plasma treated samples were studied by XRD analysis. The improvement in adhesive strength was studied by measuring T-peel strength and lap shear strength tests. It was found that the plasma treatment modified the surfaces both in chemical composition and morphology. Change of chemical composition made the polymer surfaces to be highly hydrophilic, which mainly depends on the increase in oxygen-containing groups. The AFM and XRD observation showed that the surface roughness and crystallinity of the PET film increased due to plasma treatment. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.