ESR STUDY OF PLASMA-TREATED POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE FILMS

The plasma treatment of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films was carried out in a capacitively coupled reactor with external electrodes. The free radicals generated in the process of treatment were detected by ESR techniques. The ESR spectra tended to indicate that the free radicals of the pLasma-treated PTFE film sample were turned into peroxy radicals on exposure to air. The extrema separation (W) of the ESR spectrum of the peroxy radical increased with the lowering temperature and underwent a sudden change within the temperature range of 170 to 190K. The ESR spectrum observed at 77K was quite different from that observed at room temperature. Finally, the effects of treatment time, input power and system pressure on radical concentration of the treated samples were studied. The attenuation of the peroxy radical at room temperature was also investigated.