Tailoring polycarbonate surfaces for improved Ge film adhesion: The role of plasma treatments in 50:50 O2/Ar atmospheres

Polycarbonate (PC) substrates were exposed to plasma environments consisting of a 50:50 mixture of oxygen and argon, and were subsequently coated with germanium (Ge) films grown via sputtering. The hydrophilicity of the PC surfaces was tailored by ion bombardment with energy levels ranging from 50 t...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Peralta, J., Esteve Pujol, Joan, Lousa Rodríguez, Arturo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:recercat____::13deb35fdc49d9fd9a872f0dc1de464f
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/229647
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Espectroscòpia de fotoelectrons
Policarbonats
Photoelectron spectroscopy
Polycarbonates
Descripción
Sumario:Polycarbonate (PC) substrates were exposed to plasma environments consisting of a 50:50 mixture of oxygen and argon, and were subsequently coated with germanium (Ge) films grown via sputtering. The hydrophilicity of the PC surfaces was tailored by ion bombardment with energy levels ranging from 50 to 300 eV, which led to a reduction in water contact angles from a native 80° to a superhydrophilic state. Analyses of chemical composition and structure of the PC were performed using X-ray Spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy in Attenuated Total Reflectance geometry (FTIR-ATR), and then correlated to the adhesion of the Ge thin films. Optimal adhesion of the Ge films was achieved by bombarding the PC with ions at energies between 100 and 200 eV, activating the polymer surface while avoiding photodegradation as confirmed by chemical analysis. We report an efficient method for achieving superhydrophilicity of PC within a short treatment time of 60 s that can be effectively integrated in diverse vacuum applications.