Plasma surface modification of polyethylene with organosilicon and organotin monomers

Abstract

Plasmochemical modification of a polyethylene (PE) film surface by several selected silicon and tin containing monomers, such as vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDS), 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS), tetraethylstannane (TES) and hexabutyldistannoxane (HBDS) were all examined. The structure and properties of plasma polymers obtained and plasma modified PE film surfaces were studied by FTIR, photoacoustic FTIR spectroscopies and by using surface energy and swelling measurements. It is shown that the structure of plasma polymers formed either on the inorganic non-active or on the organic active (PE films) surfaces do not differ much from each other. In the structure of the organosilicon surface plasma polymers, mainly polysiloxane type fragments emerge; while for the organotin analogs primarily carboxylate fragments predominate. The plasma of organosilicon and organotin compounds were used to modify PE film surfaces to produce thin hydrophobic, biologically active and inactive surfaces. The results of surface energy studies as followed by the interaction with methylene iodide (non-polar) and ethylene glycol (polar components), and degree of swelling studies for both unmodified as well as plasma modified PE films, in xylene showed decrease in the latter and an increase of hydrophobic components as expected.