Influence of microwave plasma treatment on the wettability and the adhesive properties of polyamides films with an epoxy resin

Microwave plasma surface treatments of polyamides films, PA11 and PA12, hav e been carried out. Two treatments were used: ammonia and nitrogen/oxygen m ixtures. Chemical and physical modifications of the surface were investigat ed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and wettability measurements. The ad hesion of the polyamide films with two epoxy adhesives was studied using a series of different tests in parallel: three-point bending test, pull-off t est and lap-shear test. The wettability and adhesive properties were shown to improve greatly after plasma treatment, especially for the nitrogen/oxyg en mixture. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.