Plasma oxidation of polystyrene vs. polyethylene

Polyethylene and polystyrene film surfaces have been plasma-oxidized and subsequently characterized by X-ray core level and valence band spectroscopies. The extent of polyethylene surface oxidation was found to be dependent on the power of the oxygen glow discharge employed and the length of time that the treated sample was left exposed to air prior to analysis. In marked contrast to these observations, plasma-oxidized polystyrene surfaces were much less dependent on the oxygen glow discharge power and were also found to retain their oxygenated character over much longer periods of ageing. These differences in oxidative behaviour are explained in terms of the molecular structures of the respective polymers.