Abstract
The surface of polypropylene/ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (PP-EPDM) blend, used as a bumper in automotive industry, suffers from poor adhesion to its coating despite surface modification. In this work, the effect of surface electrochemical treatment of a bumper surface by Ag (II) ions in HNO3 at different anolyte temperatures and electrolysis time as treatment conditions was investigated and the results were compared with the untreated and flame-treated samples. ATR analysis showed the new active sites with carbonyl, carboxylic and hydroxyl functionalities on the Ag (II)-treated sample. The morphology and topography of differently treated surfaces were examined by SEM and AFM techniques and the results indicated that the surface morphology changed after Ag (II) treatment and chemical etching occurred on the treated-surface. Moreover, the results of zeta potential measurements for Ag (II)-treated sample showed a typical acidic surface which was in consistent with the ATR and EDX results. Improvement in wettability and surface free energy were also obtained especially at ambient temperature up to 47.3 mN/m. A substantial decrease in contact angle was also achieved from 102° to 72°. The results of pull-off test showed that treatment by Ag (II), compared to flame method, can enhance adhesion strength of the PP-EPDM by 20.7 %.
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.
