| Abstract
| - Low-pressure low-frequency NH3 plasmas have been used for the surface modification of bulk polyethylenefilms and of octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayers deposited on oxidized silicon wafers.The incorporation of nitrogen-containing groups by the plasma treatment has been followed by contactangle measurements and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface degradation of the OTSmonolayers due to plasma etching has been measured separately by optical ellipsometry with subnanometricaccuracy. Our data show clear evidence for the existence of an optimum treatment time, yielding a highdensity of NH2 functional groups without significant variation of the structural features of the organicmaterial. Self-assembled monolayers appear as excellent model systems to characterize the effects ofplasma discharges on polyolefins. In particular, they allow testing the influence of molecular orientation,packing density, and crystallinity on the final results.
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