Investigation of the Electroadhesion Properties of Modified Polymer Surfaces

Abstract The effect of modification of the PTFE film surface on its adhesion and on mechanoelectron emission has been studied. If previously treated in glow discharge, PTFE gains significant adhesion strength up to the value 200 kg. per sq. sm. The increase of the adhesion strength is due to free peroxy radicals of the activated PTFE surface. The disjunction of the contact (treated PETF-polyepoxide) gives rise to emission with electron energies of 40 kev and initial intensity of 104 imp/sec. It becomes possible to vary the electroadhesion properties of treated surfaces through reactions of free peroxy radicals of activated surface with diverse reagents. The adhesion strength and emission intensity depend on the nature of functional groups on the surface. There is a correlation between the adhesion strength and emission intensity for different modified surfaces. These results are in a good agreement with the electronic theory of adhesion, the strength of adhesive joint depending on the charge density of the electric double layer, produced by collective donor-acceptor interactions at the interface. The acceleration of electrons in high electric fields in gaps formed on breakdown of adhesion contact accounts for phenomena of high energy electron emission in vacuum. Intensity of the post-emission from freshly-formed breakdown surfaces is a function of time. Mechanoemission is considered to be a type of autoelectron emission, caused by the residual charge field of freshly formed surface.