Plasma Surface Modification of Blown Polyethylene Films for Uniform Atomic Layer Deposition of Al2O3

Abstract

As polyethylene has unique physical characteristics such as low surface energy, low crystallization temperature, lack of polar groups, complicated lamellar structures, susceptibility to thermal degradation, and so on, most conventional coating techniques are not suitable for it. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has many benefits over conventional coating techniques, and it can be a good candidate as a coating technique for polyethylene. In this study, a low-temperature ALD technique for depositing layers of Al2O3 on blown, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) films was investigated. The effect of plasma surface modification on the effectiveness of the ALD technique in Al2O3 layer formation was also studied.