Characterization of functionalized coatings prepared from pulsed plasma polymerization

Material assembly based on elastomer part and metallic substrate has been widely used in many industrial sectors. However, the adhesion between the two materials requests specific processes and adhesives. Plasma technology is an interesting way to prepare the assembly since the plasma polymer layers used for the adhesive joint can bear different reactive chemical functions toward the elastomer. Three different plasma coatings are synthesized from acetylene, acrylic acid, and maleic anhydride plasma because of their respective chemical functions able to open the carbon-carbon double bond of the elastomer (rubber, fluoroelastomer). For such a purpose, fine-tuning of plasma parameters was essential to preserve the precursor chemistry and to avoid any degradation. Pulsed plasma discharge was selected, plasma parameters defined thanks to the design of experiment. The different plasma polymers were characterized by FTIR, XPS and NEXAFS spectroscopies and surface energy measurement.