SURFACE MODIFICATION OF FLUOROCARBON POLYMERS BY VACUUM-UV EXCIMER LAMP IRRADIATION IN REACTIVE GAS ATMOSPHERE

Irradiation of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) and poly(tetrafluoroet hylene-co-hexafluoropropylene) (FEP) polymer films in an ammonia or hy drazine atmosphere with vacuum UV light resulted in a hydrophilic surf ace, where abstraction of fluorine atoms and introduction of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms occurred. We used Kr-2 and Xe-2* excimer lamps at wavelengths of 172 nm and 146 nm, respectively. The reaction mechanism for chemical surface modification is discussed on the basis of the results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, scanning electron spectroscopy, and attenuated total re flection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses.