Simulation of the processes of plasma modification and vacuum metallization of polymer materials by the method of molecular dynamics

Abstract

The article presents the results of the development of molecular dynamics models of modifications of polypropylene (PP) material in the plasma of a radio-frequency (RF) discharge and a copper coating deposit by magnetron sputtering on the surface of a polyethylene (PE) material. The model of the RF plasma modification process describes changes in the surface layers of the PP material upon interaction with low-energy plasma ions: the nature of the breaking of covalent bonds in macromolecules, the chemical composition of sputtered particles, and changes in the ordering of the supramolecular structure. The model of the vacuum metallization process describes the processes of the introduction of metal atoms into the polymer structure, the change in the conformation of macromolecules, the formation of macroradicals with uncompensated chemical bonds, and the formation of an interfacial layer between the polymer and the metal coating.