Surface modification of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers by plasma treatment. II. Mechanism of surface modification

摘要

AbstractA detailed examination has been undertaken of the influence of surface treatment on the adhesion of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW‐PE) fibers to epoxy resin. XPS, SEM, FTIR–ATR, LRS, and contact‐angle measurements have been used to characterize the chemical and physical changes of the fibers. The results, taken together, suggest that the adhesion depends on three factors: (i) chemical bonding effects, after plasma treatment, with the introduction of various kinds of oxygen‐containing groups into the surface of the nonpolar polyethylene, which greatly improve the surface energy of the fibers; (ii) mechanical keying effects; and (iii) the nonpolar dispersion force. It is concluded that these three factors can be regarded as additive and the contributions from each of them to fiber/resin adhesion are different and change with increasing treatment time. The optimum results are obtained when their respective contribution reaches about 60, 30, and 10. © 1993 John WileyS