Abstract
Polyolefins are considered among the most difficult polymeric materials to treat because they have poor adhesive properties and high chemical barrier responses. In this paper, an in-depth study is reported for the low pressure plasma (LPP) treatment of neutral polypropylene to improve adhesion properties. Changes in wettability, chemical species, surface morphology and roughness of the polypropylene surfaces were evaluated by water contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and, furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM). Finally, the bonded joints were subjected to tensile tests, in order to evaluate the practical effect of changes in adhesion properties. The results indicate that plasma is an effective treatment for the surface preparation of polypropylene for the creation of bonded joints: contact angles decreased significantly depending on the plasma-parameter setup, surface morphology was also found to vary with plasma power, exposure time and working gas.
Highlights
Thanks to the excellent macroscopic properties of polymeric materials, in recent years a noticeable increase has been observed in their use in industrial sectors characterized by medium-high technology levels
Polymer materials are characterized by high chemical inertness, which leads to very low surface energy values and, poor adhesive properties
The use of chemical treatments has given good results but, generally, these treatments generate great amounts of waste that must be appropriately managed and pose a risk for the operators. Even if they are not consolidated as standard procedures, methods based on the use of an electrical discharge through a gas have been extensively used as surface treatments [11]
Summary
Thanks to the excellent macroscopic properties of polymeric materials, in recent years a noticeable increase has been observed in their use in industrial sectors characterized by medium-high technology levels. Some polymeric materials, such as polyolefins, manage to combine excellent properties of specific strength (lightness combined with good mechanical strength) with chemical inertia, easy processability, possibility of being colored and excellent surface finish [1,2]. All these factors promote the rising use of these materials in technological sectors such as medicine, automotive, aerospace, electronics, etc. The main objective of a surface treatment is to increase the surface energy of the substrate as much as possible [5,6,7,8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
