| AVS 54th International Symposium | |
| Surface Science | Thursday Sessions |
| Session SS-ThP |
| Session: | Surface Science Poster Session |
| Presenter: | T.R. Richardson, The Dow Chemical Co. |
| Authors: | T.R. Richardson, The Dow Chemical Co. F.A. Donate, The Dow Chemical Co. C.L. Gentry, The Dow Chemical Co. D.D. Hawn, The Dow Chemical Co. B.J. Kern, The Dow Chemical Co. G.E. Mitchell, The Dow Chemical Co. G.E. Potter, The Dow Chemical Co. C.W. Reinhardt, The Dow Chemical Co. R.J. Wachowicz, The Dow Chemical Co. S. Marsh, Acton Technologies M.E. Yevich, Acton Technologies |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Chemical etching solutions are typically employed to prepare the surface of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) for bonding to a surface. These etching solutions are based on sodium-naphthalene complexes in an aprotic organic carrier such as a glycol diether. The use of such etchants produces a chemically modified surface suitable for bonding. We employed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, static secondary ion mass spectrometry, and atomic force microscopy in order to understand the chemical properties of these etched surfaces. Key to this work was a procedure which utilizes macrotomy to remove thin layers of material from the surface, but these sections are obtained at a very low angle relative to the surface plane (1° or 1/2°). Using this procedure, the thickness of a layer could be "magnified" 60 or 120 times. This facilitated the use of XPS and SIMS to analyze the surface composition as a function of depth. The procedure developed produced surfaces and thin sections with no measurable smearing or contamination. The design of the apparatus resulted in production of sections or surfaces with reproducible and accurate appearance and chemistry. In this presentation we will discuss the results obtained from these low angle macrotomed surfaces, highlighting the chemistry of the surface and the modified zone. The results discussed apply to molded industrial poly(tetrafluoroethylenes).