Interface between Oxide Coatings and Plasma‐damaged Polymers and Its Effects on Coating Adhesion and Structure

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The chemical and morphological features of the interface between plasma‐treated polymer substrates and oxide coatings are investigated to clarify the influence of the interfacial features on the adhesive and cohesive properties in the polymer–oxide system. It is found that one‐dimensional polymer protrusions and polymer–oxide composite structures develop sequentially in the early growth stages of silicon oxide films on both acrylate hard coat and bare polyethylene terephthalate surfaces exposed to strong plasma‐ion irradiation. These interfacial nanostructures cause a dramatic decrease in the wettability of the polymers with silicon oxide films, thus leading to a weak boundary layer, which results in adhesion failures at the polymer–oxide interface. magnified image