Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) characterization of oxygen-ion treated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) materials
Abstract
The chemical changes on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) materials after treatment from oxygen ions produced from the gas discharge ion source (GDIS) were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Discharge current was varied from 1mA to 3mA with 1mA increment at 30 minutes treatment time. It was found out that effective changes in composition occurred when current discharge is at least 2mA. The low energy beam irradiation at 1mA only caused the CC bond to break and produce CO₂ and CF. This manifests chemical scissions only since CO₂ are no longer bonded to the PTFE. At discharge current of at least 2mA, C-O bonds were observed. This means that the composition of the PTFE has changed due to the incorporation of oxygen to the polymer. The higher discharge current caused many bonds on the chain to break and effectively bond with oxygen ions.