No abstract

No abstract

Fluoropolymer surfaces with new and specific functionalities, such as metal‐free conductivity, biocompatability, and bondability to metals, can be obtained through the intelligent choice of functional monomers for graft copolymerization on pre‐activated fluoropolymer surfaces, as highlighted in this review. The Figure shows a gold/fluoropolymer laminate held together by crosslinked glycidyl methacrylate polymer grafted on both surfaces.

The surfaces of Ar plasma‐pretreated polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films are further functionalized via UV‐induced graft copolymerization with amphoteric N,N′‐dimethyl(methacryloylethyl)ammonium propansulfonate (DMAPS) either in Ar atmosphere, or under atmospheric conditions and in the absence of a polymerization initiator. The so‐modified PTFE films from either process are capable of exhibiting adhesive‐free adhesion or auto‐adhesion with one another when brought into intimate contact in the presence of a small quantity of water. The lap shear adhesion strength increases with increasing graft concentration and can readily exceed the yield strength of the PTFE substrate. Two plasma‐pretreated PTFE films also readily undergo thermal graft copolymerization with concurrent lamination when lapped together in the presence of a small quantity of the DMAPS monomer solution at elevated temperature in the atmosphere. The surface compositions of the graft‐copolymerized PTFE films and the delaminated surfaces were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In most cases, adhesional failure occurred near the graft‐substrate interphase. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 3107–3114, 1998

No abstract