Surface coating protective against oxidative plasma etching of polypropylene

Abstract

Polypropylene (PP) sheets were coated with the ultrathin polymer layers by plasma polymerization of hexamethyldisiloxane and two other Si-containing monomers, and the protection effects from oxidative plasma etching were investigated. Etching was evaluated by the weight loss of PP sheets after the exposure to an oxidative plasma of O 2 or air. The effects of plasma polymer coating on the etching resistance were investigated with respect to the type of plasma polymer, thickness of a coating layer, oxidative plasma etching conditions, etc. Weight of the coated PP sheets was less changed and the substrates remained stable after a certain period of oxidative plasma treatments, during which time the original PP film had prominently lost weight. The importance of the crosslinked network with {Si{ components in plasma polymers on the etching resistance was suggested from the results. Infrared spectra were taken and analyzed with the plasma polymers after O 2 -plasma treatments, and the increase in the Si{O structure was indicated by the increase in the peak intensity at 1023 cm 01 . Stabilization against oxidative etching was attributed to the crosslinked Si{O structure on the surface layer.

Surface Effects of Plasma Treatments on Some Biodegradable Polymers.

“…Procedure of plasma treatments was the same as described before [5,6]. The reactor is made of a Pyrex glass tubing with the size of 4.4 cm-diameter and 40 cm-length.…”

Microwave-assisted atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization of hexamethyldisiloxane

“…Hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS) is widely used as a precursor since it is generally sufficiently volatile near room temperature, relatively nontoxic, cheap, inflammable, and easy to obtain. PP HMDS films can be applied to various fields such as those involving protective anti-etching coatings on plastic surfaces, 2) corrosion protection layers on metals, 3) optical fibers, 4) ophthalmic lenses, 5) passivation layers in microelectronic circuits, 6) and biocompatible coatings. 7) However, PP films are mainly fabricated in a vacuum chamber, which requires expensive equipment and cumbersome maintenance.…”