Abstract
PHB is a biodegradable polymer based on renewable raw materials that could replace synthetic polymers in many applications. A big advantage is the resulting reduction of the waste problem, as well as the conservation of fossil resources. To arrange it for various applications, the surface is arranged by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) with amorphous hydrogenated carbon layers (a-C:H). Here, on a 50 µm thick PHB-foil, a-C:H layers of different thicknesses (0–500 nm) were deposited in 50 nm steps. Surface topography was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), chemical composition by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy and wettability checked by contact angle. In addition, layers were examined by synchrotron supported X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), which revealed thickness dependent changes of the sp2/sp3 ratio. With increasing thickness, even the topography changes show internal, stress-induced phenomena. The results obtained provide a more detailed understanding of the predominantly inorganic a-C:H coatings on (bio)polymers via in situ growth.
Highlights
A common feature of most polymers used in everyday life today is that they are based on crude oil
Results6 shows the results of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements for PHB raw, O2 plasma treated and coated with 50 nm amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C):H
Layers of different a-C:H thicknesses were deposited on the biopolymer PHB using an acetylene plasma
Summary
A common feature of most polymers used in everyday life today is that they are based on crude oil. This inevitably causes a poor environmental impact, as these polymers are usually not (bio)degradable within a reasonable time. It needs to be mentioned that polymers cannot be used for every application, due to their poor mechanical properties, such as low hardness or insufficient resistance to surface abrasion [3]. This can be compensated by the deposition
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