XPS studies of Ni deposition on polymethyl methacrylate and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile)

Thin Ni layers were deposited onto clean polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and poly(styrene‐co‐acrylonitrile) (SAN) surfaces by a high vacuum thermal evaporation process. The resulting interfaces were studied by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Ni deposition on PMMA changes the relative intensity of the C1s spectra associated with the O CO and C O carbon species, and modifies the shape of the O1s peak, while the Ni evaporation on SAN alters the C1s band intensity assigned to the CN moiety and gives a second N1s band at low binding energies. These observations suggest the formation of new chemical species at the interface between Ni and the PMMA ester group, and between Ni and the SAN nitrile group, which are the most reactive sites on these two polymers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.