Application‐Related Optimization of Adhesion of Polymers Using Photochemical Surface Modification

Abstract

The present chapter describes the potential of UV-based photochemical surface modifications to optimize the adhesion of various systems to polymer substrates in reference to their specific field of application. This covers, e.g., coating, laminating, printing, adhesive bonding, composite materials, but also the development of innovative materials for biomedical applications. Following a short introduction to the fundamentals of photochemical processes – photooxidation as well as layer-forming processes along the “grafting to” and the “grafting from” concepts - and the general experimental designs in both laboratory and larger scales, individual sections cover three specific areas, which feature prominently in scientific literature. These sections refer to the “classic” problem of adhesion of coatings and matrix polymers to hydrophobic substrates, adhesion in composite materials made of biobased polymers, and the adhesion of cells and proteins to polymers used in tissue engineering and surgery.