Effect of hydroxyl bond formation on the adhesion improvement of a polyethylene- copper thin film system
Abstract
Formation of hydroxyl bonds on the surface of a gas plasma treated high density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets significantly enhanced the adhesion strength of the polyethylene-copper thin film system. Surface treatments using oxygen gas plasmas at varying plasma parameters are applied in this study to identify the most effective plasma parameters that would promote the best adhesion strength. Analysis of gas plasma adulterated HDPE sheets showed best enhancement of polyethylene-copper adhesion after an oxygen gas plasma treatment for 60 minutes at 5mA discharge current. Scanning Electron Microscopy Analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Adhesion measurements using Pull-out Force Analysis were used to measure the changes in the surface chemistry and surface topology of the HDPE sheets.