The surface modification of polypropylene (PP) by monoenergetic argon ions and UV photons is evaluated in a particle beam experiment. Thereby, the polymer pre-treatment in a plasma process can be mimicked. The etching and chemical modification of the spin-coated PP thin films is monitored in real-time by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It is shown that the initial exposure to the plasma ion source causes a modification of the film surface, which slows down the initially high etch rate. The separately measured UV-induced damage is more severe compared to the oxygencontaining polymer polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
Interfacial processes during the initial stages of SiO x -like plasma-polymer barrier coating deposition were investigated by means of polarization modulation infrared reflectionabsorption spectroscopy, and the resulting effect on defect densities were studied by cyclic voltammetry. Octadecanethiol self-assembled monolayers on Au-film coated wafers served as sensor layers to investigate interface chemistry during the plasma deposition. Both the spectroscopic and electrochemical data revealed that a thin SiOCH interlayer could reduce oxidative degradation of the SAM during subsequent deposition of the SiO x barrier film from an oxygen-rich plasma phase. The present electrochemical investigation confirmed effective inhibition of interfacial oxidative degradation processes of an aliphatic polymer in the presence of a SiOCH interfacial layer.
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