TY - JOUR A1 - Altmann, Korinna A1 - Schulze, Rolf-Dieter A1 - Hidde, Gundula A1 - Friedrich, Jörg-Florian T1 - Electrospray ionization for deposition of ultra-thin polymer layers – principle, electrophoretic effect and applications T2 - Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology N2 - Nebulizing of polymer solutions, in a high-voltage field under atmospheric conditions by electrospray ionization (ESI), is a comfortable way to deposit ultra-thin layers of polar or ionic polymers onto any conductive substrate materials. The substrate is grounded and the polymer solution is sprayed through a powered capillary. The formed charged droplets shrink by solvent evaporation during their way to the grounded substrate, the charges close ranks and the droplets collapse consecutively by charge repulsion, thus forming finally charged single macromolecules. After their discharging at the grounded substrate, an ultrathin ‘quasi-monomolecular’ polymer layer is formed. It could be shown by imaging of scratches through the polymer layer by atomic force microscopy that the deposited polymer layers are dense at a thickness of about 10 nm. Carbon fibre bundles were coated with poly (allylamine) (PAAm) or poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as potential adhesion-promoting layers in fibre–polymer composites. The polymer deposition is self-inhibiting after formation of a continuous coverage of about 200 nm for PAAm and 30 nm for PAA as result of surface charging. Continuous deposition onto such isolating layers or polymers without charging can be achieved by using current of alternating polarity. The film formation is self-healing because of the electrophoretic effect, i.e. the ion discharging occurs preferentially at noncoated areas. This electrophoretic effect of ESI was demonstrated by completely enwrapping all the carbon fibres of the roving within a distance of about 100 μm far from its outside and also at the backside of the fibre bundle with about 80% of the topside coverage, as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and visualized using scanning electron microscopy. PB - Taylor & Francis CY - London KW - Complete enwrapping of fibres KW - Ultra-thin polymer layers KW - Self-healing KW - Electrospray deposition KW - Carbon fibres KW - Electrophoretic effect PY - 2012 UR - https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/frontdoor/index/index/docId/42631 AN - OPUS4-42631 SN - 0169-4243 VL - 27 IS - 9 SP - 988 EP - 1005 AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany