-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueWet Process Control
In this issue, we examine wet processes and how to obtain a better degree of control that allows usable data to guide our decisions and produce consistently higher-quality products.
Don’t Just Survive, Thrive
If we are to be relevant and prosper during these next critical decades in electronics, we must do more than survive. As an industry, we can and must thrive. In this issue, our contributors explore these concepts meant to help you take your business to the next level.
Material Matters
Materials management is nuanced, multifaceted, and requires a holistic systems approach for business success. When building high mix, low volume, and high technology, managing materials and overall cost containment are even greater challenges.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Henniker Plasma: Plasma Treatment of Fluoropolymers
February 14, 2023 | Henniker PlasmaEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
![](https://iconnect007.com/application/files/3116/9087/1060/HennikerThumb.jpg)
PTFE, and other fluorinated polymers, are chemically inert, thermally stable and highly hydrophobic, due to their intrinsically low surface energy. The chemical inertness of PTFE as an example, means that it is virtually impossible to form lasting adhesive bonds and coatings tend instead to form droplets and 3D particles on the surface rather than a uniform film. Traditional methods to increase the surface energy involve the use of aggressive primers which represent an ecological hazard.
Fluorinated polymers are not readily modified by standard plasma processes. Oxygen plasmas, which are successfully used to treat many hydrocarbon-based polymers, are not successful because the binding energy of the fluorine to carbon atom is far higher than that of oxygen to carbon. Plasma treatment of fluorinated polymers with oxygen plasmas instead causes a gradual etching of the surface, as opposed to surface activation.
The use of hydrogen plasma on the other hand, produces an immediate and lasting change in the nature of the fluoropolymer surface. The action of atomic hydrogen, generated by the plasma, is to react with surface fluorine and remove this into the gas phase where it is pumped away by the vacuum system. Hydrogen then terminates the free surface bonds to produce a CHx polymer surface which is readily wettable. The resulting surface is also mildly-etched on a microscopic scale which produces a microscopically structured surface. Both actions in combination result in a modified surface which may be glued, painted etc.
Typical Results
Results, below and across, show the change in morphology, water contact angle and surface energy obtained for PTFE following hydrogen plasma treatment. The surface energy of PTFE that has been plasma treated is actually lower than that of many common polyolefins, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, and well within the range of wettability required for many adhesives to form strong bonds.
Plasma Process
When gas atoms are ionised, the collision of high energy particles knocks electrons out of their orbits. This results in the characteristic “glow” or light associated with plasma. Plasmas many different species including atoms, molecules, ions, electrons, free radicals, metastables, and photons in the short wave ultraviolet (vacuum UV or VUV) range. Plasmas are generated in closed vessels at low pressures, typically < 1.0 Torr. The low pressure results in a long mean free path of the plasma species, so that they remain reactive until contact with a surface. The overall chamber temperature at the commonly used power levels and pressures is close to room temperature
Suggested Items
NASA Awards Intuitive Machines Lunar South Pole Research Delivery
09/03/2024 | NASAA new set of NASA science experiments and technology demonstrations will arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027 following the agency’s latest CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative delivery award. Intuitive Machines of Houston will receive $116.9 million to deliver six NASA payloads to a part of the Moon where nighttime temperatures are frigid, the terrain is rugged, and the permanently shadowed regions could help reveal the origin of water throughout our solar system.
Intuitive Machines Strengthens Lunar Service Capabilities with $116.9 million NASA Lunar Contract Award
08/30/2024 | Globe NewswireNASA has awarded Intuitive Machines, Inc., a leading space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, a $116.9 million contract to deliver six science and technology payloads, including one European Space Agency-led drill suite to the Moon’s South Pole.
CACI Awarded $80 Million Task Order to Provide Engineering Support Services to U.S. Navy Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC)
08/29/2024 | CACI International Inc.CACI International Inc. announced that it was awarded a five-year task order valued at up to $80 million to continue providing engineering support expertise to the U.S. Navy Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Corona Division.
Surface Finish: Tune in to the Latest Podcast Episode of On the Line with… ASC Sunstone
09/04/2024 | I-Connect007Don't miss the latest episode of "On the Line with… ASC Sunstone: Designing for Reality," in which ASC Sunstone’s General Manager, Matt Stevenson, discusses the critical topic of surface finishes in PCB manufacturing.
MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions Introduces Engaging "Life Pages" on its LinkedIn Platform
08/12/2024 | MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsMacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, a leading supplier of integrated materials and chemistries to the electronics industry, introduces five new “Life Pages” on their LinkedIn company page: MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions. These Life Pages offer a tailored experience for MacDermid Alpha’s followers, ensuring easier access to relevant content across its integrated solutions to the electronics manufacturing sector.