NMR study of polyethylene-like plasma polymer films

Abstract

Thermal decomposition ("evaporation") of polyethylene (PE) was performed with or without an activation of volatile fragments in an rf glow discharge. Study of the deposition process via quadrupole mass spectrometry showed the presence of hydrocarbon fragments up to 100 amu. Properties of the resulting films were investigated by means of FTIR, XPS, and NMR spectroscopy. These analyses showed that the activation of polymeric fragments in plasma enhances cross-linking and the films become hydrocarbon plasma polymers. However, these plasma polymers resemble much more the original PE. In addition, NMR technique enabled to assess the ratio of crystalline and amorphous phases in the films. © 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.