| AVS 63rd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session AS-TuP |
| Session: | Applied Surface Science Division Poster Session |
| Presenter: | Christopher S. Swagler, Niagara University |
| Authors: | C.S. Swagler, Niagara University L.D. Brunelle, Niagara University M.R. Michienzi, Niagara University E.R. Welton, Niagara University R.E. Goacher, Niagara University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The interface between hydrophobic plastic and hydrophilic wood in Wood Polymer Composites (WPCs) is important for the strength and durability of the materials. WPCs are used in decking and marine structures because they have improved properties over wood or plastic alone. WPCs are relatively new materials and prior research into their weathering and durability has focused on the issue of interface adhesion. Such studies have used Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphological analysis, and many have included chemical analysis using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). However, XPS has poor imaging resolution and only provides elemental and functional group analysis. For a more detailed analysis of the wood-plastic interface, Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) offers higher imaging resolution than XPS, and can provide more detailed molecular information.
To date, ToF-SIMS analysis of WPCs has been limited to preliminary studies involving the weathering and cleaning of a single commercially available product. These analyses have shown ToF-SIMS to have promise for the analysis of weathering, using spectral, imaging, and depth profiling approaches. The present study expands this analysis to include a wider variety of sample types, such as those made from polypropylene, nylon or styrene maleic anhydride plastics, with and without added dyes. The composition of these samples is better known than the composition of the previously analyzed commercial material, which aids in identification of peaks from the polymer, wood, and any additives. The analysis of a wider set of unweathered WPCs provides baseline information about the observable chemical distributions for comparison to weathered samples. ToF-SIMS results are also compared to visual light microscopy, SEM, and XPS to illustrate complementarity with these techniques. This work provides insight into how the ToF-SIMS spectra and images vary for WPCs of different composition, including new and reclaimed materials.