It is shown that structural joints can be formed between conventional epoxy adhesives and copolymer and terpolymer of chlorotrifluoroethylene, at temperatures well below the softening points of these polymers, without their prior surface treatment. An explanation of this low temperature behavior is given in terms of the surface tension of the adhesive, surface roughness, and the micro-Brownian motion of the polymers associated with the glass transition.

Data for the surface tension of molten polymers are scarce and relatively incomplete (1, 2). Schonhorn and Sharpe (3) have recently reported the surface tension of a molten polyethylene over a wide temperature range as measured with a strain gage type testing apparatus (4). In the present communication, we report the surface tension of a molten polypropylene as a function of temperature using techniques described previously (3). For this study we chose a completely atactic low molecular weight (in= 3,000) polypropylene, Epolene D-10, supplied by Eastman Chemical Products, Incorporated, Kingsport, Tennessee. This material was purified further by dissolving the polypropylene in xylene and then precipitating it with isopropyl alcohol. This process was repeated twice. The final product was colorless and probably had a higher in since low molecular weight fractions would tend to remain in the eluent. The details of the experimental procedures and standardization of the modified du Nouy technique are described elsewhere (3). The ring employed in this study was calibrated with a variety of low viscosity liquids. The manually operated du Nouy tensiometer was found to be inadequate because of the high viscosity of the liquid polymer and the sluggish response of the film under load. At the low crosshead speed of 0.02 in./min., no decay in force was noted when the crosshead was stopped. At higher crosshead speeds (> 0.05 in./min.) there was an increasingly large decay in the force as a function of time. By employing atactic polypropylene we were able to operate at lower temperatures. Dry preheated nitrogen was continually passed through the oven chamber to preclude oxidation of the molten polypropylene. Samples aged at 199OC. for an hour showed no change of surface tension with time. One hour is considerably longer than the time necessary for a determination. Measurements were repeated a minimum of three times for each recorded temperature.

Further studies of a new and highly effective method for the surface treatment of low surface energy polymers for adhesive bonding are reported. Mechanisms are suggested for the increase in the cohesive strength in the surface region of polyethylene when it is exposed to activated species of inert gases. The technique is unique because, in contrast with results obtained with other methods, bulk properties of the polymer such as color or tensile strength and elongation are unaffected and surface properties such as wettability and dielectric properties such as surface conductivity are essentially unchanged.

An effective surface treatment for adhesive bonding of polyethylene has been developed. It involves exposing the polymer to an environment of elemental fluorine or fluorine diluted in argon. By this treatment, extensive fluorination of the surface region is effected. The fluorinated surface permits formation of strong adhesive joints by conventional adhesive bonding techniques even though the wettability of the new surface is similar to polytetrafluoroethylene. We believe that treatment of the polymer with elemental fluorine effectively eliminates the weak boundary layer associated with polyethylene by either crosslinking or by increasing the molecular weight in the surface region.

The, nature of polymer surfaces has received increasing attention as the use of these materials, in a variety of forms, increases yearly. Modifications of polymer surfaces for adhesion, friction, and diffusion oriented appiications have necessitated a careful analysis of the surfade region morphology (surface physics) and chemical properties of the surface layer (surface chemistry). The behavior of composite structures has involved the discipline of classical fracture mechanics. The orientation of polymeric species or additives which migrate to the interface may modify the wetting characteristics and, most certainly, the frictional properties in addition to the diffusion of penetrant species beyond the boundary layer. The above topics are discussed within the framework of recent analytical and theoretical developments in surface science. The findings of these recent studies have facilitated many exciting technological advances.

An overview is presented of a series of papers published during the last decade which show that the conventional thermodynamic approach to liquid—solid adhesion requires some fundamental changes. It is pointed out that it has been a long-neglected fact that adsorption, as generally measured in adsorption isotherms, is actually surface excess, so that it can, in principle, be negative as well as positive. As a result, the free energy of adsorption, AF, can be positive as well as negative. Small amounts of water vapor adsorbing onto previously evacuated poly (tetrafluoroethylene) could, in principle, therefore be increasing the free energy of the low-energy polymer surface. It is further pointed out that from the strictly thermodynamic point of view, changing the free energy of a surface by adsorption of the vapor of a liquid does not necessarily change the contact angle. Resulting changes in contact angle can, however, theoretically occur from changes in the intermolecular force interaction term (proposed work of adhesion), such as those terms proposed by Good and Girifalco, Fowkes and others, where such changes would be speculative. In addition, it is pointed out that an accurate thermodynamic representation of liquid-solid adhesion should take into account the shape of the drop to be deposited (or drop that has been detached), as well as the resulting contact angle. An equation is presented for the free energy of adhesion of a spherical drop.

The present work examined the susceptibility of contact angle data to specific interactions taking place between solids and contacting liquids. The polymers involved were polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene, representing respectively basic, acidic and neutral substrates. Contacting fluids also were chosen to represent acid and base interaction categories.

Significant time-dependent changes in contact angles were observed when acid/base pairs were involved in the experimental sequence. In specific cases it was possible to identify initial (zero contact time) contact angles, as well as equilibrium values, attained after prolongued contact times. Local solvation, or plasticization, of the polymer by the wetting fluid was postulated as the operative mechanism. The differences between initial and final values of the contact angles were correlated with parameters of specific interaction, calculated from the acceptor/donor numbers for the pertinent materials as measured by inverse gas chromatography. In contrast, when acid/acid or base/base combinations of polymer and wetting fluid were studied, equilibrium values of the contact angle were established rapidly. Since accurate information on acid/base properties of polymers and wetting fluids is not always available, it seems prudent to record contact angles as a function of contact time, and by extrapolation to determine the initial (true) value for further use in surface characterizations of polymers.

An apparent link between the surface properties of polar group-containing polymers, such as PMMA and Styrene/Acrylic copolymers, and the thermodynamic quality of solvents used in solutions from which the polymers were cast, was described in earlier papers.^1,2 In these polymers, significant variations have been observed in critical surface tensions(γ_c), and in the thermodynamic interaction parameters for selected vapor-polymer pairs, when the configuration of the polymer in solution was varied through the suitable selection of solvents of differing thermodynamic quality. The “solvent history” effect on surface properties of solid film was not detected however for non-polar polymers such as polystyrene (PS).^1,2 Apparently the distinct chain configurations adopted in solution by PMMA are carried over into the solid and result in different proportions of non-polar (backbone) and polar (side chain) moieties being located in the surface layer of the solid. Since only one surface state can correspond to a thermodynamic equilibrium, it may be expected that the film surface properties will change with time, as the thermodynamically preferred state is attained. As a consequence, use properties of these films should also display (initially) the “solvent history” effect, and should vary similarly with time. The present communication is concerned with these points.

A thermal gradient bar has been used for convenient measurements of γ_c and dγ_c/dT in complex polymers used as film-formers. The technique yields both γ_c and its temperature variation in one experimental sequence well suited for rapid, routine applications. Surface tension data have been obtained for a styrene-acrylic terpolymer, and these have also been used to characterize the compatibility of external plasticizers for the polymer. The surface tension approach has shown that glyceryl dibenzoate, though compatible with the polymer at temperatures above ∼70°C becomes incompatible at use temperatures, and exudes to the polymer film surface. Measurements of moisture sensitivity in plasticized polymer samples have confirmed the incompatibility and illustrated one of the applications to which the gradient bar and its data generation potential may be put.

Films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polystyrene, and a styrene/acrylic terpolymer have been cast from solutions of varying thermodynamic quality and the film properties studied by inverse gas chromatography and by critical surface tension measurements. Surface properties of the non-polar polystyrene were independent of solvent medium, but significant variations in these properties were observed in the case of PMMA and the terpolymer. Solvent balance also appeared to affect the bulk properties of the latter films, as judged by the penetration rates of interacting liquids. The observations indicate the feasibility of controlling film properties of the solid by the appropriate selection of solution media; a time-dependent variation in solid properties is to be expected, however, as the film structure attains an equilibrium state.

Plasma-chemical modification is frequently used to improve the adaption of polymer surfaces to biological environments. In this regard amino functional groups play a key role. They provide an excellent basis for subsequent modifications with specific biomolecules. It would be of great value to get an amino functionalization independent of the specific material in use. The paper reports on an investigation concerning the feasibility of such an universal plasma functionalization procedure. Two different downstream microwave plasma sources were taken to apply a procedure, which was developed for high-grade modification of polystyrene (PS), to a number of other polymers including polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and fluorinated polymers. In many cases, very similar results were obtained. At maximum 5% of the surface were covered by nitrogen functional groups. In some cases, about 50% of total nitrogen functional groups were amino groups. The results suggest that a downstream ammonia plasma treatment indeed is a fairly universal method for high performance amino functionalization of polymeric biomaterials.

A method for measuring the dispersive part of the surface free energy γs^D of a high-energy solid, and its interaction energy with water and n-alkanes, W_SL, has been developed. It is based on the measurement of the contact angle of water on the solid under n-alkanes. Muscovite mica was chosen as a model high surface energy solid. The results obtained for γs^D and W_SL of mica are in good agreement with the results obtained by other techniques. The present method can be considered to be applicable for other solids.

A method of determining the polar term of the adhesion energy of several liquids to a high-energy solid, I_SL^P, has been developed, based on the measurement of the contact angle of water on a solid in a liquid medium. The I_SL^P values for mica are found to be a linear function of the square root of the polar term of the surface free energy of liquids. This finding agrees with the suggestion that the polar term of the energy of adhesion may be represented by the geometric mean of the polar term of the surface free energy of a solid and a liquid. The slope of the straight line provides the value of γ_S^P = 90 ergs/cm² for the polar term of the surface free energy of mica. The results were compared with those obtained by a cleavage method and also discussed in terms of each component of the surface free energy of mica. The present method is useful for the determination of the polar part of the energy of adhesion of a high-energy solid to liquids, and its surface free energy.

The surface free energy of solids is a characteristic parameter that determines most of the surface properties such as adsorption, wetting, adhesion, etc. The surface energetics of solids may be characterized by measurement of contact angles of different liquids. Nevertheless, the calculation of surface free energy from contact angle measurements has been the subject of much controversy. Indeed, this characteristic of a solid cannot be measured directly because of elastic and viscous restraints of the bulk phase, which necessitate indirect methods.

Adhesion phenomena are relevant to many scientific and technological areas and in recent years have become a very important field of study. The main application of adhesion is bonding by adhesives, which is replacing, at least partially, more classical mechanical attachment techniques such as bolting or riveting. It is considered to be competitive primarily because it saves weight, ensures better stress distribution, and offers better aesthetics because the glue line is practically invisible. Applications of bonding by adhesives can be found in many industries, particularly in advanced technological domains such as the aeronautical and space industries, automobile manufacture, and electronics. Adhesives have also been introduced in areas such as dentistry and surgery. However, adhesive joints are not the only application of adhesion. Adhesion is concerned whenever solids are brought into contact, for instance, in coatings, paints, and varnishes; multilayered sandwiches; polymer blends; filled polymers; and composite materials. Because the final performance or use properties of these multicomponent materials depend significantly on the quality of the interface that is formed between the solids, it is understandable that a better knowledge of adhesion phenomena is required for practical applications. The field of adhesion began to create real interest in scientific circles only about 50 years ago. Thus, adhesion became a scientific subject in its own right, but it is still a subject in which empiricism and technology are slightly ahead

Surface modification to improve the adhesion property by means of dry methods such as flame, corona and plasma treatments is commonly used for films, foils and paper-based substrates. The corona discharge treatment technology is explored here and elaborated on. Subjecting the substrate to a corona discharge may provide greater wettability, higher surface free energy, and higher adhesion performance due to the introduction of polar functional groups at the uppermost surface. In addition, the surface roughness of polymeric materials may also be altered during the bombardment by the species in the discharge. The applied corona dosage, or referred to as watt density in the industry, also plays a great role in the level of surface modification.

Paperboard was coated on a pilot scale using aqueous dispersions of styrene–butadiene (SB) copolymers in order to improve its surface characteristics (including printability) and barrier properties with regard to the transmission of water vapour. Coating the paperboard with the dispersion in two steps gave a smoother surface with a remarkable increase in gloss. The printing properties of the smoother double-coated surface were slightly better than those of the single-coated surface. Paraffin wax added to the latex dispersion reduced the water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) but had a negative effect on the printability of the board.

The effect of two commonly used surface treatment techniques (corona and plasma at atmospheric pressure) on the printing and barrier properties of dispersion-coated (containing wax) paperboard was evaluated. A fairly intense corona treatment led to an undesirable increase in the WVTR-value. A less intense corona treatment preserved the WVTR-value to a great extent, but the printability remained at an unsatisfactory level. With plasma treatment, the water vapour barrier was not impaired, and the printability of the plasma-treated dispersion-coated (wax-containing) substrate was good. It is suggested that a better result using corona treatment may be obtained by optimising the power and controlling the time between the treatment and the printing, although this was not investigated here.

A systematic study was made of seven common polyolefin resin stabilizers. Surface analysis techniques were used to characterize the surfaces of films containing these additives. Films were evaluated before and after corona treatment. Results of this study showed that a surprising number of additives are surface active. In some cases these additives have a dramatic effect on the surface chemistry produced by corona treatment, yet they do not affect subsequent ink adhesion. Conversely, an additive may not significantly affect the corona treatment chemistry but yet still reduce the adhesion performance of the film product.

“Intrinsic contact angle hysteresis” is defined as hysteresis that cannot be ascribed to roughness, heterogeneity, or penetrability of the solid surface. It can be explained if we postulate that the layer of liquid immediately adjacent to the solid surface has an ordered structure similar to that of a liquid monocrystal. This structure is fluid (zero yield point in shear) in the plane of the solid surface and presents no obstacle to an increase of the solid—liquid interfacial area (advancing of the three-phase boundary line). In planes normal to the solid surface the structure has a positive yield point in shear, which prevents decrease of the solid—liquid interfacial area (receding of the three-phase line) until the yield point is exceeded by the surface pressure π_SL. Mechanical stability of the system at all values of the contact angle between the “advancing” and “receding” angles θ_A and θ_R is ascribed to a continuously changing value of π_SL and of the corresponding specific interfacial free energy γ_SL in this interval. This change reflects the elastic response in shear of the solid—liquid interfacial film in planes normal to the solid surface in this interval.

In forced spreading systems, three different modes of θ_d-V behavior have been found, each of which predominates in a different velocity range. In the lowest velocity range, with systems involving the low viscosity, low boiling, nonpolar liquid hexane, θ_d was found equal to θ_eq (the Elliott-Riddiford or Hansen-Miotto mode). In the next higher velocity range, which extends to very low velocities for all other systems studied, the behavior described by Eq. 6 (the Blake-Haynes mode) predominates. At still higher velocities, the behavior described by Eq. [9] (the Friz mode) becomes superposed on the Blake-Haynes mode, and eventually predominates up to the range where θ_d approaches 90° and Eq. [9] becomes inapplicable. In the Blake-Haynes mode the major force opposing advance of the liquid front is the solid-liquid interfacial viscosity. In the Friz mode it is the bulk viscosity of the liquid.

The roughness of solid surfaces has no appreciable effect on the θ_d-V relationship, provided the physicochemical character of the surfaces is the same and the roughness is random. If the process of roughening alters the physicochemical character the θ_d-V behavior of the roughened surface may differ from that of the smooth one.

There is no qualitative difference between the θ_d-V behavior of systems in which θ_eq is zero and systems in which θ_eq is positive.

Low dynamic surface tension is an important factor in achieving superior film formation in water-borne coatings. Dynamic coating application methods require surfactants with low dynamic surface tensions in order to prevent defects such as retraction, crawling and cratering. Comparative basic and empirical data are presented that will demonstrate the ability of acetylenic diols to lower the dynamic surface tension of water-borne coatings and hence improve the quality of the cured film.

Hydrophobic solid surfaces with controlled roughness were prepared by coating glass slides with an amorphous fluoropolymer (Teflon^® AF1600, DuPont) containing varying amounts of silica spheres (diameter 48 μm). Quasi-static advancing, θ_A, and receding, θ_R, contact angles were measured with the Wilhelmy technique. The contact angle hysteresis was significant but could be eliminated by subjecting the system to acoustic vibrations. Surface roughness affects all contact angles, but only the vibrated ones, θ_V, agree with the Wenzel equation. The contact angle obtained by averaging the cosines of θ_A and θ_R is a good approximation for θ_V, provided that roughness is not too large or the angles too small. Zisman's approach was employed to obtain the critical surface tension of wetting (CST) of the solid surfaces. The CST increases with roughness in accordance with Wenzel equation. Advancing, receding, and vibrated angles yield different results. The θ_A is known to be characteristic of the main hydrophobic component (the fluoropolymer). The θ_V is a better representation of the average wettability of the surface (including the presence of defects).

The kinetics of modification of a fluoropolymer coating (FC 722, 3M Company) during its contact with octane, dodecane, and hexadecane is studied via measurement of quasi-static (velocity independent) advancing and receding dynamic contact angles. A decrease in both angles with the time of contact between solid and liquid is observed and it is interpreted as the result of swelling of the polymer. By means of a theoretical extrapolation of the θ_R(t) data tot= 0, based on an equation relating θ_R(t) to swelling kinetics, the experimentally inaccessible receding contact angle on dry coating, θ⁰_R, is determined. The contact angle hysteresis on such a surface, θ⁰_A− θ⁰_R, is found to be less than the hysteresis, θ^∞_A− θ^∞_R, obtained on samples that were soaked in the alkanes long enough to reach saturation. This increase is thought to be due to loosening of the polymer chains during the swelling, leading to an exposure of higher-energy segments to the nonpolar liquid and to an enlargement of the solid surface pores filled with liquid. The contact angle data are also interpreted in terms of interfacial free energies.

Chemical and physical modifications of polyimide (PI) surfaces caused by an air plasma have been studied. The plasma-induced surface changes of PI were investigated by using a local dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature as a function of the plasma exposure time and plasma power, while the excitation frequency was kept constant at about 130 kHz. The first results obtained in this work suggest that DBDs operating in air at atmospheric pressure can be an efficient alternative plasma source for surface treatment of polymers: a short time air plasma treatment of few seconds leads to chemical and physical changes including the rise of wettability, surface oxidation, and enhancement of surface roughness. Therefore, this simple kind of dry surface treatment seems to be an effective, low cost method for production of well-adhering subsequent layers such as metal films, paints, glues, etc. on DBD pretreated polymers.

The influence of different surface treatments on the physical and chemical surface properties of poly(etheretherketone) (PEEK), poly(phenylenesulfide) (PPS) and a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) was studied. For all the three polymers, the adhesion strength of an adhesively-bonded copper foil could be increased significantly by a chemical etching process using chromic sulphuric acid or a low pressure air-plasma treatment. However, for LCP the enhancement of adhesion by the surface treatments was lower than for the other polymers. Peel tests were employed for determining the adhesion strength of the copper foil. The physical surface properties were investigated by laser scanning microscopy (LSM). Contact-angle measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided detailed information on the chemical surface properties. The detailed XPS analyses revealed different chemical mechanisms of the surface treatments depending on the polymer investigated. In all cases an incorporation of oxygen containing groups by the surface treatments was found to be responsible for a better adhesion of the copper foil on the treated polymer films compared to the untreated.

Ar plasma etched and Al metallised bisphenol A carbonate was analysed by mass spectroscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning force microscopy (SFM). We mainly used a technical polymer (Makrolon 2808, Bayer) made by injection-moulding, as well as spin coated bisphenol A carbonate (n=1) and polycarbonate (PC) (n=115). The mass spectroscopy during the etching process shows the degradation of the PC in the form of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methyl groups. The photoelectron spectroscopy shows in detail the surface modification after Ar plasma treatment and metallisation. The plasma induces a reduction of the carboxylic carbon (C 1s), a strong reduction of singly bonded oxygen (O 1s) and also a slight reduction of doubly bonded oxygen. After Al metallisation, a reaction of Al with the oxygen groups and an interaction with the aromatic system is documented. Ar plasma etching increases the chemical interaction of Al mainly with the aromatic carbon. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of metallised PC under different initial conditions shows a strong influence of incorporated water in the PC bulk that cannot be seen by XPS on uncoated PC. The O 1s signal increases during metallisation and results in an oxidation of Al probably caused by the fact that the hydrophobic surfaces becomes hydrophillic. Temperature-dependent XPS was done on technical PC samples and on spin coated samples (n=1, n=115) and supports the influence of the bulk state for the Al–PC interface. For n=1 carbonate, a diffusion of Al into the PC volume was observed. The SFM measurements showed a roughening effect on the nanometer scale even after short treatment times. Al can be seen as a weakly bound cluster on the virgin PC, and if a pre-etching is done, Al seems to grow as a good wetting film. The adhesion force of Al films on PC without any influence of the volume can be explained by the chemical bonding of Al to the carboxylic and aromatic systems. The adhesion can be increased by plasma pre-treatment. A breakdown of the adhesion on technical PC is probably induced by a reaction of Al with mobile intercalated gas, that is enriched near the surface after Al coating.

The spinning drop technique (SDT) has been developed to measure extremely low interfacial tensions (from 10 ^-6 mNm ^-1 to 10 mNm ^-1). It uses profile analysis of deformed droplets similar to the pendent drop method. Unlike in pendent drop experiments, where the droplets are deformed by the gravitational force, SDT is based on the balance of centrifugal and interracial forces in rapidly rotating systems. Apart from purely tensiometric applications SDT has been found to be a versatile tool for surface and interface science. It allows the study of adsorption phenomena and even permits the “simulation” of spontaneous structure formation processes, e.g., the break-up of liquid threads and the coalescence of droplets. This chapter reviews both standard and non-standard SDT applications. After a brief description of basic principles and properties, the equilibrium properties of a rotating drop, i.e., its shape and its stability, are considered in detail. Experimental aspects of SDT: Both commercial and laboratory SDT set-ups are introduced. Problems arising from sample preparation (particularly in the case of highly viscous polymers) and the determination of the droplet dimensions are discussed.