Combined AFM/XPS study of the failure surfaces in the PVC film/adhesive/glass system

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been used to study the nature of the failure interface and the failure mechanism in a PVC film/adhesive/ glass system. By employing the AFM technique, isolated islands of adhesive residues of horizontal dimension of 100-200 nm and 30-50 nm high with less than 20% coverage were observed on the glass surface after peeling the PVC film from the glass substrate. Using the XPS technique, the failure mode was found to be mainly interfacial, occurring at the glass/adhesive interface, and also partially cohesive, located in the adhesive layer very close to the interface. The results are discussed in relation to the chemical nature of the interface and the failure mechanism.