Surface treatment of polymers. II. Effectiveness of fluorination as a surface treatment for polyethylene

Abstract

Abstract An effective surface treatment for adhesive bonding of polyethylene has been developed. It involves exposing the polymer to an environment of elemental fluorine or fluorine diluted in argon. By this treatment, extensive fluorination of the surface region is effected. The fluorinated surface permits formation of strong adhesive joints by conventional adhesive bonding techniques even though the wettability of the new surface is similar to polytetrafluoroethylene. We believe that treatment of the polymer with elemental fluorine effectively eliminates the weak boundary layer associated with polyethylene by either crosslinking or by increasing the molecular weight in the surface region.