Quantitative Comparison Between Vacuum-Ultraviolet Irradiation and Remote Hydrogen Plasma Treatment of Hydrocarbon Polymers

The photon flux of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation of a hydrogen plasma with and without a MgF₂window was recorded by fluorescence measurements of sodium salicylate layers. After the compensation of the MgF₂absorption by increasing the input power into the plasma source, a comparison between afterglow hydrogen plasma and VUV treatments was made. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) were treated either with VUV radiation or with remote hydrogen plasma and mass loss and CH absorption loss were measured by a quartz crystal microbalance and by infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, respectively. In the case of PE the effects of both treatments were found to be very similar white for PP slight differences were observed. For the actual set of experimental conditions, the radiation component is largely responsible for the efficiency of the plasma treatment. VUV and remote hydrogen plasma treatments of PS showed only a negligible loss of mass and CH absorption.