Effect of Low-pressure Microwave Plasma Discharges on the Surface of Vulcanized Rubbers Before Bonding with a Silicone Sheet

摘要

In this work, the surface of vulcanized rubbers was treated by a low-pressure microwave plasma process to enhance the adhesion with a silicone adhesive. The plasma reactor was fed with nitrogen, oxygen or synthetic air. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force rnmicroscopy observations associated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, laser desorption/ioniz ation time-of-flight mass spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectroscopy and surface energy measure ments showed how the plasma gas treatment can affect the morphology and the chemistry of the rubber surface. The adhesion performances of the treated samples were evaluated using 90°-peel tests. Correlations between the plasma surface modifi cations and the adhesion properties are reported.