Competitive and synergistic effects between excimer VUV radiation and O radicals on the etching mechanisms of polyethylene and fluoropolymer surfaces treated by atmospheric He-O${}_2$ post-discharge

Abstract

Among various surface modification techniques, plasma can be used as a source for tailoring the surface properties of diverse materials. HDPE and fluoropolymer surfaces have been treated by the post-discharge of an atmospheric RF-plasma torch supplied with helium and oxygen gases. The plasma-treated surfaces were characterized by measurements of mass losses, water contact angles, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. This experimental approach correlated with an optical characterization of the plasma phase allowed us to propose etching mechanisms occurring at the post-discharge/polymer interface. We discuss how competitive and synergistic effects can result from the oxidation and/or the roughening of the surface but also from the excimer VUV radiation, the He metastable species and the O radicals reaching the plasma-polymer interface.

References in corpus (4)

• Etching Processes of Polytetrafluoroethylene Surfaces Exposed to He and He-O2 Atmospheric Post-discharges
• PTFE surface etching in the post-discharge of a RF scanning plasma torch: evidence of ejected fluorinated species
• Competitive and synergistic effects between excimer VUV radiation and O radicals on the etching mechanisms of polyethylene and fluoropolymer surfaces treated by atmospheric He-O${}_2$ post-discharge
• Chemical mechanisms inducing a dc current measured in the flowing post-discharge of an RF He-O2 plasma torch

Cited by in corpus (5)

• From Basics to Frontiers: A Comprehensive Review of Plasma-Modified and Plasma-Synthesized Polymer Films
• Understanding polyethylene surface functionalization by an atmospheric He-O${}_2$ plasma through combined experiments and simulation
• Competitive and synergistic effects between excimer VUV radiation and O radicals on the etching mechanisms of polyethylene and fluoropolymer surfaces treated by atmospheric He-O${}_2$ post-discharge
• LDPE Surface Modifications Induced by Atmospheric Plasma Torches with Linear and Showerhead Configurations
• Cyto- and bio-compatibility assessment of plasma-treated polyvinylidene fluoride scaffolds for cardiac tissue engineering