Polystyrene and PMMA surface modification by electron beam generated plasma in argon and oxygen - effect of increased ion energy on polymer surface characteristics

The present study investigates the polymer surface changes when the incident ion energy is increased to levels comparable to conventional, low pressure plasma discharges (20 eV). This allows for a study of polar groups incorporation, topography, and surface energy analysis over a range of ion energies not easily achieved in plasmas. The use of inert gas environments (Ar) would permit us to compare the influence of ion energy, while the addition of reactive gases (02) adds a chemical component to the studies.