Abstract
Abstract In order to correlate the adhesion of Al/PET laminates with the number of nucleation sites, gold replicates have been observed by TEM on PET immersed in various solvents before metallization. The question of the relationship between the morphology of the aluminum films evaporated onto these treated polymers is also addressed. Treatments in water, acetone, ethanol, and methanol result in a decrease of the number of nucleation sites and of the adhesion of the subsequently-evaporated aluminum films. Chloroform behaves differently and produces the reverse effect. The special behavior of CHCl3 is tentatively attributed to the substitution of some surface hydrogen atoms by chlorine atoms, giving rise to new active centers on the PET surface. The decrease of the adhesion in all the other cases may be determined by the decohesion of the PET skin resulting from the diffusion of solvents.
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 call
