Plasma processes and adhesive bonding of polytetrafluoroethylene

Abstract

Abstract The virtues of chemical inertness and low surface energy which make polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) a valuable engineering polymer also account for the difficulty in achieving structural adhesive bonds. While plasma surface treatment has proven to be the most effective means of maximizing strength and permanence of adhesive bonds with the most inert of engineering polymers, a simple plasma treatment has proven elusive for PTFE. The following studies evaluate two very different plasma processes, activation and deposition, as a means to achieve reliable and high‐strength structural adhesive bonds. Sodium naphthalene‐etched PTFE is used as a control. Presented are ESCA data which support a theory that improvement is limited by a weakened boundary layer of the PTFE.