A Composite of Metal and Polymer Films: Thin Nickel Film Coated on a Polypropylene Film after Atmospheric Plasma Induced Surface Modification

Polymeric films of high chemical stability and mechanical strength covered with a thin metallic film have been extensively used in various fields as electric and electronic materials. In this study, we have chosen polypropylene (PP) as the polymer due to its outstanding chemical resistance and good creep resistance. We coated thin nickel film on PP films by the electroless plating process. The surfaces of PP films were pre-treated and modified to increase the adhesion strength of metal layer on PP films, prior to the plating process, by an environment-friendly process with atmospheric plasma generated using dielectric barrier discharges in air. The surface morphologies of the PP films were observed before and after the surface modification process using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The static contact angles were measured with deionized water droplets. The cross-sectional images of the PP films coated with thin metal film were taken with SEM to see the combined state between metallic and PP films. The adhesion strength of the metallic thin films on the PP films was confirmed by the thermal shock test and the cross-cutting and peel test. In conclusion, we made a composite material of metallic and polymeric films of high adhesion strength.