Physico-chemical processes occurring during polymerization of liquid polydimethylsiloxane films on metal substrates under atmospheric pressure air corona discharges

In this paper we investigated by different complementary methods the processes occurring in the polymer layers bulk and at the polymer/substrate interface during the polymerization of liquid films of polydimethylsiloxane lying on the surface of a solid aluminum respectively titanium substrate under atmospheric pressure air corona discharges. frared spectroscopy, Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry and Plasma Profiling Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry investigations show the presence of Al2O3 and aluminosilicates type compounds at the polymer-substrate/interface and their linkage to the polymers chains by SiOAl bonds. By coupling the spectral results with those obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopy investigations we evidenced the formation of silicon oxide structures preponderantly on the free surface of the polydimethylsiloxane layers but also in the polymer bulk deposited on aluminum respectively titanium substrates.