Reactive species of nitrogen cold plasma could interact with a
polymeric surface, leading to
an important surface functionalization (mostly as amino group
attachment) and consequently to a surface
having a Lewis base character. Under certain conditions, the
surface functionalization is not the only
modification; a morphologic transformation is also noticed. The
virgin isotactic polypropylene is composed
in bulk of smectic and amorphous phases in the same proportions, and
after the plasma treatment a
more organized monoclinic α phase appears. During the plasma
treatment, two types of crystallization
take place, smectic phase → α phase and also amorphous → smectic
phase, their respective proportions
varying in the thickness of the film. This phenomenon could be
explained by an absorption of the plasma
VUV radiations by the polymer film. Illustration is given with
different plasmas for which the VUV
emission is important.
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