DMA and ATR FT‐IR studies of gas plasma modified silicone elastomer surfaces

The results obtained from ATR FT‐IR and DMA studies of gas/plasma surface modified silicone elastomers are presented. The structural analysis indicates that, upon the plasma treatment in the presence of argon and carbon dioxide gases, the primary components of the surface are short chain layers with carbonyl groups. Their presence significantly influences the viscoelastic properties of the elastomer. The measurements of the storage modulus (E′) indicate a substantial decrease of the crosslink density upon the plasma treatment. Although the glass transition temperature also changes, these changes do not follow the trend observed of E′ values, and primarily depend on the chemical structures that develop upon the treatment. On the other hand, the ammonia–plasma surface modification introduces surface amide groups on the surface of the silicone elastomer, which effectively contribute to the increase of both Tg and storage modulus of the elastomer.