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Graphite and multiwall carbon nanotube surfaces were functionalized by vacuum-ultraviolet induced photochemistry in NH3 or O2, in order to introduce amino- (NH2) or hydroxyl (OH) functionalities, respectively. Modified surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which showed significant incorporation of nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) at the materials surface. While high-resolution XP spectra did not yield much specific information about the incorporated functional groups, chemical derivatization with 4-trifluoromethyl benzaldehyde and trifluoroacetic anhydride accompanied by XPS enabled quantification of NH2 and OH groups, respectively. Using near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, we assessed the conservation of the aromatic structure following functionalization treatments.
Nitrogen (N)-rich organic thin films were deposited using both low-pressure plasma- and vacuum-ultraviolet-based techniques, from mixtures of ammonia (NH3) and ethylene (C2H4). These films were investigated using angle-resolved and excitation energy resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS and ERXPS, respectively) in order to determine their sub-surface chemical profiles. These two techniques enable one to tune the “XPS 95%” information depth, z 95%, by varying either the angle or the excitation energy. Using a combination of both techniques, z 95% can be varied continuously from 0.7 to 11 nm. The surface-near chemistry is investigated using both high-resolution C 1s spectra and elemental concentrations derived from elemental peak intensities. Results show that while laboratory XPS, and even ARXPS, suggest homogenous surface chemistries, the novel combination of ARXPS and ERXPS points to the existence of a compositional profile in the extreme outer surface layer. Our conclusions are supported by simulations using SESSA software.
Low- and atmospheric-pressure plasma co-polymerisations of binary gas mixtures of C2H4 and NH3 or N2, respectively, were investigated for depositing N-rich plasma polymer coatings for biomedical applications. Deposition kinetics and relevant surface characteristics of resulting plasma polymerised ethylene enriched with nitrogen, PPE:N, coatings were investigated as a function of the gas mixture ratio, X = NH3(N2)/C2H4. Physico-chemical properties of the coatings were determined using a combination of complementary surface-sensitive techniques: for example, total nitrogen concentrations, [N], up to 40 at.% were measured by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, XPS, while those of primary amines, [NH2], were determined by performing chemical derivatisation followed by XPS analyses. PPE:N films were further characterised by UVVIS Ellipsometry, Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy, IR Spectroscopy and by Contact Angle Goniometry measurements. The stability of the coatings was tested, both in terms of water solubility and of ageing in ambient atmosphere. For the latter, selected samples were stored in the laboratory for different durations, in order to assess possible changes in their chemical structures.
We have used an atmospheric pressure DBD apparatus to deposit novel families of N-rich plasma polymers (PP:N), using mixtures of three different hydrocarbon precursors in nitrogen at varying respective gas flow ratios. This research focuses on the overall chemical characterisation of those materials, with specific attention to (semi)-quantitative analysis of functional groups. Well-established and some lesser-known analytical techniques have been combined to provide the best possible chemical and structural characterisations of these three families of PP:N thin films, namely XPS, NEXAFS and FT-IR spectroscopy.