Double mass transfer during polymer-polymer contacts

Abstract

Double mass transfer has been observed spectroscopically and nondestructively for the first time using the x-ray photoemission technique to examine both halves of polymer films touched to other polymer films. A careful selection of polymers according to their peculiar x-ray photoemission spectra enabled the unambiguous identification of polymer fragments on the respective surfaces. The use of the nondestructive XPS or ESCA technique makes possible the observations involving both halves of the contacting pair, and especially the detection of fragments of one polymer on the surface of another. The amount of material transferred is much larger than that necessary to explain triboelectric charging phenomena in terms of mass transfer on a basis of one electronic charge per atom.