ToF‐SIMS multivariate characterization of surface modification of polymers by N₂H₂ atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Abstract

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a powerful tool for the surface characterization of plasma-modified surface. However, the SIMS fragmentation patterns of the resulting surface are quite complex and a full interpretation may be prohibitive. As a result, many studies are turning to multivariate statistical methods to simplify the interpretation. In this study, a principal component analysis (PCA) was used to obtain a more detailed interpretation of the surface modification of polymers by an atmospheric pressure plasma. The dataset was obtained from three polymers with different chemical compositions [namely, polyethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)], where each material was treated with an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in an atmosphere composed of different N 2 /H 2 ratios. The results are discussed in terms of the suitability of ToF-SIMS analysis combined with PCA for the discrimination between the three polymers and the possibility to create a predictive model that would describe the plasma surface modification, independent of the polymer substrate chemical composition.