INTERACTIONS IN METAL-POLYMER METAL INTERFACES

Interfacial layers in metal-polymer-metal structures have been investi gated. Analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (X.p.s.) at room t emperature of the changes in various core electron spectra associated with the polymer film and the overlayers shows that there is formation of metal oxide-carbide species in the polymer-metal interface in the system obtained by deposition of metal on poly(phenylene vinylene) (PP V) polymer. In contrast, for the system in which metal is deposited on the PPV precursor, no complex species are observed after the transfor mation of precursor into PPV by heat treatment. This difference can be explained by the side-reactions of the under-products generated durin g the pyrolysis of the precursor into the polymer. Finally, the role o f the interfacial complex species in the origin and in the mechanism o f the rectifying contacts observed in the metal-polymer-metal structur es is also discussed.