Chemical surface modification on polytetrafluoroethylene films by vacuum ultraviolet excimer lamp irradiation in ammonia gas atmosphere

Irradiation of polytetrafluoroethylene films with vacuum UV light in an ammonia gas atmosphere resulted in a hydrophilic surface, where abstraction of fluorine atoms, and introduction of nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen atoms occurred. We used Kr-2* and Xe-2* excimer lamps at wavelength of 146 and 172 nm, respectively. The reaction mechanism for chemical surface modification is discussed on the basis of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.