Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 19: Poster: Interfaces and Thin Films

CPP 19.20: Poster

Tuesday, March 15, 2011, 18:00–20:00, P2

Sub-microscopic changes in COP surface properties due to different surface activation processes — •Martin Laher and Sabine Hild — Department of Polymer Science, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstrasse 69, 4040 Linz

Even though the ongoing demand to substitute different materials for polymers due to low cost and mass producibility encouraged lots of studies in polymer science, several questions are still unsolved. A major concern of research is to understand, improve and adjust material properties for specific applications. The substitution of glass or mica with polymers for biological application involves the disadvantage of low surface energy of polymers. The motivation for surface treatments is to adjust surface properties required to improve bonding processes with other polymers. Changes caused by different types of surface modification can increase the surface energy of nonpolar polymers or decrease the glass transition. Due to plasma activation or solvent treatment processes, modifications of mechanical properties like adhesion, stiffness or Young*s modulus of cyclo-olefin-polymer (COP) are expected as well as changes in the microstructure and the hydrophobicity. Surface characterization by means of SFM techniques such as force-distance measurements and SFM-Nanoindentation testing are to be sensitive tools to investigate changes in mechanical properties of polymeric materials. The main challenge is to approve the applicability of provided sensitivity ranges of these methods to detect surface treatment induced changes in the nanometer surface range. Therefore, surface properties of COP samples have been investigated.