H Drnovska, L Lapcik, Vilma Buršíková, J. Zemek, AM Barros-Timmons

Surface properties of polyethylene after low-temperature plasma treatment

Colloid and Polymer Science 281 (2003) 1025-1033

The effect of oxygen and ammonia plasma treatments on changes of the surface properties of linear high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was studied. Surface energies of the polymer substrates were evaluated by contact angle measurements using Lifshitz-van der Waals acid-base approach. The surface energy of untreated HDPE is mainly contributed by Lifshitz-van der Waals interactions. After 5 min of plasma treatment, hydrogen bonds are formed on the surface, which is reflected in predominant acid-base interactions. The SEM results obtained demonstrate considerable changes of the surface roughness due to different types of the plasma gas used. Evolution of oxygen- or amino-containing moieties was detected by XPS and ATR FT IR. The prepared polyethylene surfaces were used as a basic support for further fabrication of novel hybrid biocomposite sandwich structures.

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