Chemical surface composition of the polyethylene implanted by Ag+ ions studied by phase imaging atomic force microscopy

High density polyethylene (HDPE) has been modified by Ag+ ion implantation with the energy of 60 keV. The total amount of implanted silver ions was 1, 5 and 12 × 1015 ions/cm2. The surface topography was observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), while the surface composition changes were detected using phase imaging AFM. Surface topography changes were studied in detail using 3D surface parameters analyses. The average roughness decreased for the implanted HDPE indicating the flattening of the surface. Phase AFM images indicated the homogenization of the polyethylene during ion implantation, while histogram analyses confirmed the change in surface composition.