Polyimide films are currently of great interest for the development of flexible electronics and sensors. In order to ensure a proper integration with other materials and PI itself, some sort of surface modification is required. In this work, microwave oxygen plasma, reactive ion etching oxygen plasma, combination of KOH and HCl solutions, and polyethylenimine solution were used as surface treatments of PI films. Treatments were compared to find the best method to promote the adhesion between two polyimide films. The first selection of the treatment conditions for each method was based on changes in the contact angle with deionized water. Afterward, further qualitative (scratch test) and a quantitative adhesion assessment (peel test) were performed. Both scratch test and peel strength indicated that oxygen plasma treatment using reactive ion etching equipment is the most promising approach for promoting the adhesion between polyimide films.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.