Surface and Bulk Structure of Thin Spin Coated and Plasma-Polymerized Polystyrene Films

Polystyrene (PS) spin coated thin films were modified by O2 and Ar plasma as well as by UV irradiation treatments. The modified PS samples were compared with plasma polymerized and commercial polystyrene. The effects of plasma (O2 and Ar) and UV irradiation treatments on the surface and the bulk properties of the polymer layers were discussed. The surface properties were evaluated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Contact angle measurements and the bulk properties were investigated by FTIR and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. As a result only one second treatment time was sufficient to modify the surface. However, this study was also dedicated to understand the effect of plasma and plasma irradiation on the deposited layers of plasma polymers. The dielectric measurements showed that the plasma deposited films were not thermally stable and underwent an undesired post-plasma chemical oxidation.