CHEMISTRY, DIFFUSION AND CLUSTER FORMATION AT METAL-POLYMER INTERFACES

This paper shows how structure and formation of metal-polymer interfac es depend strongly on the preparation process and the interfacial chem istry. Emphasis is placed on results obtained from trans mission elect ron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), radiotr acer measurements and computer simulations on the early stages of inte rface formation during noble-metal deposition onto fully cured polymer s. Noble metal atoms deposited onto polymers diffuse on and inside the polymer and tend to agglomerate to clusters. XPS results show that no significant diffusion occurs from larger clusters and is therefore al so not expected from a continuous metal film. Thus the extent of diffu sion into the polymer appears to be determined only by the initial sta ge of the deposition process and increases strongly at low deposition rates and elevated temperatures, where a large fraction of isolated me tal atoms is able to diffuse into the polymer before being trapped by other atoms at or near the surface. Our results point to a strong inte rplay between chemical interaction, diffusion and agglomeration.