Chemical etching, plasma, and ion beam treatments were used to modify the surface of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Each surface treatment method developed different surface characteristics. In addition to morphological observation, contact angle, atomic chemical composition, and adhesion strength were measured after treatment with various methods. The different adhesion strengths were explained based on the morphology and atomic chemical composition of the treated PTFE surfaces. The chemical etching showed substantial defluorination, and the adhesion strength was fairly high. The argon plasma treatment introduced very large amounts of oxygen into the surface, and the surface was very smooth with a crater-like structure. Ion beam treatment induced a form of spires whose dimensions were of several micrometers, depending on the ion dose, whereas the oxygen plasma-treated samples showed short spires with spherical particles on the top. The spire-like surface morphology and increased surface area during bonding by ion beam treatment appear to be the reason for a higher adhesion strength than that of the oxygen plasma-treated PTFE.
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Sung Reul Kim (2000) studied this question.