| Abstract: | Plasma-polymerized polyethylene (PPE) obtained on a radio-frequency glow discharge has been analyzed by flash pyrolysis combined with in-line hydrogenation and gas chromatography. The pyrogram of a bulk powder PPE, which had been characterized by both infrared spectroscopy and density measurements, was compared with a 400 Å thick PPE film deposited directly on the pyrolysis probe. Although the two pyrograms have a qualitative resemblance, they are substantially different from that of conventional branched polyethylene (PE). Some of the fragments exhibited by the deposited PPE are also present in pyrograms of 1,4-polybutadiene. It is evident that the deposited film is a highly branched and unsaturated network polymer with a random arrangement of these structural features. |
