Surface hydrophobic modification of silicone rubber by CF4 RF ICP

Surface hydrophobic modification of silicone rubbers (SIR) as outdoor insulator by CF₄ RF ICP were studied. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and static contact angle (SCA) were employed to characterize the changes of surface chemical composition, topography, and hydrophobicity. The results show that etching or ablation and fluorination are parallel and competitive during the treatment. The improvement of modified SIR´s hydrophobicity of modified SIR is ascribed to the introduction of fluoric groups (C-CF_n) or structures (Si-F and Si-F₂).