Structure and properties of tin-containing polymers deposited from tetramethyltin HF plasma

Identification of fragment ions produced by the decomposition of tetramethyltin and the production of low-energy Sn+ ion beam

Tetramethyltin was decomposed in an ion source and the fragment ions produced were identified using a low-energy mass-selected ion beam machine. Dominant fragment ions were found to be H⁺, CH₂⁺, and Sn⁺. Subsequently, fragment ions were mass-selected. The mass spectrum of the selected ions indicated that only a single peak appeared at the mass number of 120 u, being suggestive of the presence of ¹²⁰Sn⁺ ions. The ion energy was set at the range of 20–100 eV. The Sn⁺ ion beam was irradiated to a Si substrate, and a film was then found deposited on the substrate after the ion beam irradiation. An X-ray diffraction measurement showed that the film obtained was metallic Sn. Then, the Sn⁺ ion beam was irradiated to a quartz crystal microbalance substrate. We found that most of the irradiated Sn⁺ ions were adhered to the substrate, at the ion energy levels of 25 and 58 eV, producing the Sn film, whereas a 107 eV Sn⁺ beam caused a significant proportion of Sn atoms in the film to detach from the substrate, probably due to sputtering.

Application of plasma technology for the modification of polymer and textile materials

Plasma treatment is based on the physico-chemical changes of the material surface and as an ecologically and economically acceptable process it can be an attractive alternative to conventional modifications. The possibilities of plasma technology application to the modification of polymer and textile materials are discussed. Different specific properties of the material can be achieved by plasma cleaning, etching, functionalization or polymerization. The final effects are strongly influenced by the treatment parameters (treatment time, pressure, power, gas flow), the applied gas and nature of the material. The plasma treatment of polymers is predominantly focused on cleaning and activation of the surfaces to increase adhesion, binding, wettability, dye ability and printability. Current studies deal more with plasma polymerization where an ultra thin film of plasma polymer is deposited on the material surface and, depending on the applied monomer, different specific properties can be obtained (i.e. chemical and thermal resistance, abrasion resistance, antireflexion, water repellence, etc.). Plasma application to textiles is mostly oriented toward wool and synthetic fibres, though some studies also consider cotton, hemp, flax and silk. The main goal of plasma treatment is to impart a more hydrophilic fibre surface and accordingly increase wettability, dye ability, printability and particularly, shrink resistance in the case of wool. Recent studies have favored technical textiles, where plasma polymerization can offer a wide range of opportunities.