Improving Barrier Properties of PET by Depositing a Layer of DLC Films on Surface

Abstract

The diamond-like carbon films (DLC films) depositing on the Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface are obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and the working gases are acetylene and argon gas. Surface morphology and the internal structure of DLC films are investigated by using Raman and FESEM, and the barrier properties of PET films which have been deposited the DLC films are tested in this paper. The results show that the deposition process parameters have an important effect on structure and performance of DLC films. It is shown that the diamond-like carbon films prepared by PECVD system are an amorphous carbon films which mixed with sp3 bond and sp2 bond. The best oxygen barrier property and water vapor barrier property of PET films are increased by 11 times and 12 times, respectively, in which the ID/IG ratio of the DLC film is nearly 0.76, and the sp3 content is about 40%.