Abstract
The transfer of organic materials from a polyolefin-based film onto glass was studied using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Polyolefin films were brought in contact with glass and then removed either by peeling or twisting. The polyolefin films include minor additives, the transfer of which was followed by analysis of the glass side of the interface. In this study, we consider the effects of two different treatments in relation with the migration of the organic additives to the glass. ToF-SIMS images are obtained over a large area using macrorastering. These images, and also spectra recorded in discrete areas, show the presence of organics from polyolefin films and, hence, transfer of minor organic components to the glass. Comparison of imaging data between the two different treatments confirms that not only do additives migrate to the surface but also segregate with clear patterns on the glass surface as a result of one particular treatment. Principle component analysis (PCA) was also carried out on all data and the results obtained show good agreement with the imaging results (ion-selected images). ToF-SIMS and PCA results show that samples produced with treatment 1 exhibit a more organic-like surface on the glass side than samples obtained with treatment 2 which exhibit a more glass-like surface. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.