Electronic structure of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) studied by UPS, VUV absorption, and band calculations

The electronic structure of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) was studied by UPS, VUV absorption, and ab-initio MO calculations. The UPS spectra give a photoemission threshold energy of 10.6eV, with deeper valence band features consistent with the reported XPS and the oligomer vapour UPS spectra. The UPS spectra are also consistent with the density of states derived from the calculated band structure, which indicates that the uppermost part of the valence band is formed from the C and F 2p orbitals with C-C bonding and C-F antibonding combinations. The VUV absorption spectrum shows an intense peak at 7.7eV, which most probably corresponds to the valence excitation from the top of the valence band to the bottom of the conduction band. With these data, the structure of the occupied and vacant states are deduced.