Analysis of hydrophile process of a polymer surface with an inverter plasma

An analysis of the hydrophile process of a polymer surface was performed with a discharge system composed of an inverter power supply and a pair of insulated parallel electrodes. Using this discharge system, we could produce a narrow-pulsed plasma for which the direction of the applied electric field could be controlled. Contact angle and XPS measurements were performed to analyze the surface of the treated polymer films. In the case of a unipolar pulse operation, the electric field direction toward to the sample surface was more effective to prepare a hydrophilic polymer surface than the opposite one. In the case of a bipolar pulse operation, the contact angle decreased. This observation is important for a better understanding of the hydrophile process. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.