PLASMA AND ION FLUORINATION FOR CHEMICAL HARDENING OF SYNTHETIC RUBBERS

ALTHOUGH DESIGNED FOR ANTI-PERSONNEL USE, CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS, THEIR HYDROLYSIS PRODUCTS AND THE NECESSARY DECONTAMINATING CHEMICALS ALSO CORRODE POLYMERS, SUCH AS THOSE USED IN SEALS, FABRICS AND VEHICLE COMPONENTS. RECENTLY PLASMA FLUORINATION HAS SHOWN PROMISE AS A MEANS OF CHEMICALLY HARDENING POLYMER SURFACES. FLUORINATION PRIMARILY IMPROVES THE SURFACE BY PREVENTING WETTING BY THE AGENT, SO THAT IT CANNOT ATTACK AND PERMEATE THE SURFACE. THIS PROGRAM IS AIMED AT DEVELOPING THE PLASMA FLUORINATION TECHNIQUE FOR USE ON SYNTHETIC RUBBERS SUCH AS THOSE IN VEHICLE ENGINES. THE PRIMARY EMPHASIS IN PHASE I WILL BE A COMPARISON OF A STANDARD PLASMA FLUORINATION METHOD WITH A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TO DETERMINE WHICH IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT IN TREATING THREE TYPICAL MILITARY RUBBERS. THESE METHODS WILL BE COMPARED WITH FLUORINE ION IMPLANTATION, WHICH PHYSICALLY PLACES FLUORINE ATOMS WELL BELOW THE SURFACE WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY EXCITING SURFACE FLUORINATION. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SURFACE TREATMENTS IN PREVENTING WETTING WILL BE EVALUATED BY EXTENSIVE CRITICAL SURFACE TENSION MEASUREMENTS. FINAL EVALUATION WILL BE DONE BY SIMULANT CHALLENGE. THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DAMAGE DONE TO THE SURFACE BY THE SIMULANT WILL BE EVALUATED BY ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AND ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY.