XPS characterization of PTFE after treatment with RF oxygen and nitrogen plasma

A study on surface modification of extended PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) foil after treatment in oxygen and nitrogen plasma is presented. PTFE was exposed to a weakly ionized, highly dissociated RF plasma with a high density of neutral atoms. The gas pressure was 75 Pa and the discharge power was 200 W. The appearance of the functional groups on the sample surface was determined by using high-resolution XPS. The results showed that oxygen plasma treatment did not cause any noticeable changes in the surface composition, while after nitrogen plasma treatment new functional groups were detected on the surface. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.