Fluorocarbon polymers (FPs) are ideal
coatings for sliding parts
in automotive, medical, or semiconductor manufacturing equipment owing
to their excellent nonadhesiveness, low friction, and high heat and
chemical resistance. FPs are used as coatings of slide bearings, oil
pumps, sliding packing in automobiles, robot housing in biomedical
fields, and the inner surface of the exhaust duct in semiconductor
manufacturing equipment. However, the nonadhesiveness of FPs hinders
their adhesion to metals, preventing their application. Recently,
high-energy electron irradiation during the coating process above
the melting point of FPs and under anoxic conditions has been proven
to enhance the adhesion of FPs to metal substrates. However, the mechanism
underlying this phenomenon remains unveiled because the investigation
of the buried interface is difficult. Herein, we fabricated samples
of fluorinated ethylene–polypropylene (FEP) coating an Al substrate
using a unique approach based on semiconductor manufacturing processes
to clarify the morphology and chemical interactions of the Al–FEP
interface. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry showed that
the uncoated Al surface comprised 0.5 nm-thick Al hydroxides. Scanning
transmission electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
showed that a 1000 keV electron irradiation during the coating process
caused a significant diffusion of F atoms from the FEP layer to Al.
Soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) clearly indicated that
the O atoms in the native Al2O3 layer were substituted
by F atoms. Hard XPS showed the appearance of strong C–O–Al
bonds caused by the irradiation. These results stem from the irradiation-induced
cleavage of the C–F bonds in the FEP coating and O–Al–O
bonds in the native Al2O3, facilitating the
diffusion of F atoms and the formation of C–O–Al bonds,
improving the adhesion between the FEP coating and Al substrate. Thus,
high-energy electron irradiation modified the nanostructure at the
Al–FEP interface through the FEP layer.