The effect of pretreatment parameters on adhesion of high performance multilayer thin films on modified polypropylene

Abstract

High performance multilayer metal thin films have been successfully plated on modified polypropylene with calcium carbonate filler. The peeling strength of plated thin films was found to reach the maximum of 3.14 Kgf/cm, which is higher than previously published reports. Pretreatment parameters of etching time, etching temperature and air agitation were found to have significant effect on the peeling strength of plated films. Among them, etching time was found to have the most critical effect. The scanning electron microscope was used to study the surface morphology of etched specimens to elucidate the relation between microstructure and peel adhesion. The ultimate peeling strength was found to be attained before the surface is over-etched. The advantage and versatile functional applications of the newly developed multilayer metal plated on modified polypropylene are also discussed.