Effect of Low-pressure Microwave Plasma Discharges on the Surface of Vulcanized Rubbers Before Bonding with a Silicone Sheet

In this work, the surface of vulcanized rubbers was treated by a low-pressure microwave plasma process to enhance the adhesion with a silicone adhesive. The plasma reactor was fed with nitrogen, oxygen or synthetic air. Scanning electron microscopy and microscopy observations associated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectroscopy and surface energy measurements showed how the plasma gas treatment can affect the morphology and the chemistry of the rubber surface. The adhesion performances of the treated samples were evaluated using 90 degrees-peel tests. Correlations between the plasma surface modifications and the adhesion properties are reported.