SURFACE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF MODIFIED POLYETHYLENE PULP AND WOOD PULPS FIBERS USING XPS AND INVERSE GAS-CHROMATOGRAPHY

The fiber/fiber interface influences strongly the mechanical propertie s of a composite paper material. Polyethylene (PE) pulp fiber was trea ted, for surface modification to improve adhesion with conventional pa per fiber, using ozone in aqueous medium, and fluorinated gases. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the surface of c onventional paper fiber as well as the variation of the chemical compo sition and the O/C atomic ratio, within the surface level of the PE pu lp fiber after the treatments. The thermodynamic surface characteristi cs of the fiber were then determined using the inverse gas chromatogra phy (IGC) technique at infinite dilution. Following Fowkes' approach, acid/base surface characteristics were obtained. The variation of surf ace thermodynamic properties due to treatments were compared to the va riation of the chemical compositions as obtained by XPS.