Polymer processing by a low energy ion accelerator

Ion implantation is a process in which ions are accelerated toward a substrate at energies high enough to bury them just below the surface substrate in order to modify the surface characteristics. Laser-produced plasma is a very suitable and low cost technique in the production of ion sources. In this work, a laser ion source is developed by a UV pulsed laser of about 10⁸ W/cm² power density, employing a C target and a post ion acceleration of 40 kV to increase the ion energy. In this work, we implanted C ions on ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). We present the preliminary results of surface property modifications for both samples. In particular, we have studied the modifications of the surface micro-hardness of the polymers by applying the "scratch test" method as well as the hydrophilicity modifications by the contact angle measurements.