Modification of polytetrafluoroethylene surfaces using H2S plasma treatment

A process for modifying the surface properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer using sulfur-containing gaseous plasma is presented in this paper. Samples of PTFE foils were treated in pure H2S gaseous plasma sustained by an electrode-less radio-frequency discharge in the E-mode. The samples were kept at a floating potential. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy were used to determine the evolution of the surface functionalities and morphology. An extremely thin film of chemically bonded sulfur was formed on the surface after a few seconds of plasma treatment, whereas a treatment duration of more than a minute resulted in the deposition of pure sulfur. The deposited film remained as thin as a few nanometers, even after half an hour of treatment.