Modification of polymer characteristics by laser and ion beam

In this work, two different techniques to modify polymeric surfaces are compared: laser irradiation and ion implantation. The treated polymers were samples of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. The irradiation treatment was performed by utilizing two different laser sources operating in the UV and IR range by applying many laser shots in an air atmosphere. Ion implantation was performed using a new laser ion source accelerator with an accelerating voltage of 40kV. Contact angle, roughness and Fourier transform infra red measurements were carried out before and after the treatments in order to compare surface characteristics. An increase of the wettability and roughness was observed when using UV laser treatment, while an increase of the hardness was obtained by ion implantation.