Investigation on the Mechanism of Aminosilane-Mediated Bonding of Thermoplastics and Poly(dimethylsiloxane)

A possible mechanism for the aminosilane-mediated room-temperature (RT) bonding of thermoplastics and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is presented. The plasma-activated thermoplastic or PDMS substrates were modified with alkoxy silanes having different organo functional groups, and their bonding characteristics were studied. Manual peeling tests revealed that strong bonding was realized only when the silane had a free amino group and at least two alkoxy groups on the silicon. Silanization was carried out in both aqueous and anhydrous conditions; bonding occurred readily at RT in the former case, but a longer incubation time or a higher temperature was needed for the latter. The presence of the silane on the surface was confirmed by contact-angle measurements and UV spectrophotometric, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopic (ATR-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analyses. In the case where the aminosilane was deposited from aqueous solution, the amino functionality of the silane-catalyzed siloxane bond formation between the silanol on the modified thermoplastic surface and the silanol of the plasma-activated PDMS. In the case of anhydrous phase deposition, the aminosilane first catalyzed the hydrolysis of the ethoxy groups on the silicon, and then, catalyzed the condensation between the silanol groups of both materials. Shelf life tests of the modified thermoplastics showed that the aminosilane was stable over 2 weeks, and that bonding occurred at RT when the substrates were soaked in water before bonding.