Surface modification of PET membrane by ion implantation

Semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) foils were irradiated with N5+, O7+ and C3+ ions. Ions beams of 50 keV N5+, 70 keV O7+ and 30 keV C3+ were produced from the ECR ion source. The induced effects and wettability of ion-implanted membranes were investigated by means of the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and by the contact-angle methods. FTIR measurements of the virgin and irradiated samples show the scission processes of main chains at the ethylene glycol residue. Various degradation processes known from photochemical degradation were also observed. The AFM observation revealed that the surface topography changes after irradiation. The contact-angle measurements showed that the PET membranes became significantly more hydrophilic after the ion irradiation.