MODIFICATION OF SURFACES OF POLYMERS BY ION-BOMBARDMENT FOR IMPROVEMENT OF MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES

Ion beam irradiation of polyphenylquinoxaline thin films with high energy ions (1.6 MeV Xe+ ions) leads to the dissociation of the polymeric structure shown by optical absorption and the emission of molecular fragments. New carbonaceous compounds exhibiting new electronic properties result from these molecular modifications. Characterization of the modified layer involving separate thickness and mass determinations shows a strong densification of the precursor material by a factor of 2 to reach the density values of hard carbon coatings obtained by plasma techniques. These new data confirm previous results on polystyrene and polyimide films by different techniques. Implications for the improvement of the surface properties of polymers are discussed.