Investigation of the Surface of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Films Modified by Vacuum Ultraviolet Irradiation in Air

摘要

This paper reports on the results of measuring the changes in the characteristics of the surface ofpoly(ethylene terephthalate) films upon radiation-induced oxidation of the polymer under vacuum ultravioletirradiation in an oxygen-containing medium. The films were irradiated by light from a sealed-off deuteriumlamp with the maximum photon energy within the band (10 ± 1 eV) in air under conditions where thermaldestruction of poly(ethylene terephthalate) could be ignored. The functional relationship between the decreasein the film thickness and the growth of surface irregularities in the course of photoetching was established frommeasurements of the optical transmission spectra T(?) of the films and investigations of the surface microreliefby atomic-force microscopy. The hydrophilic properties of the surface of the sample regions irradiated with dif-ferent doses were examined by measuring the contact angle.