Development of new PVC materials. Characterization and feasibility of diamond coatings on model PVC materials

Diamond-like, tetrahedrally bonded amorphous carbon (ta-C) coating was used to enhance the wear resistance of laboratory-made microstructured poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) surfaces. Formulation of PVC samples was kept simple; they contained only stabilizer and plasticizer added to PVC. Two sizes of microstructures were imprinted on PVC. Both smooth and microstructured PVC surfaces were coated with amorphous diamond and the surfaces were characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry, AFM and contact profilometry. In addition, water contact angles were measured. The plasticizer, plasticizer concentration and amorphous carbon coating affected the topography of the microstructure and the water contact angles on surfaces. The ta-C-coated microstructured surfaces were worn with a soiling and wearing drum tester to study their wearing behavior. Surface topographies were measured with a profilometer after wearing studies.