from the conferences organized by TANGER Ltd.
Surface modification of polymeric materials represents an effective strategy for tailoring their properties without the need to synthesize new material systems, thereby significantly expanding their application potential. In this context, advanced plasma technologies have emerged as a promising tool for the controlled deposition of functional coatings on polymer substrates. The present study focuses on the deposition of thin films on high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) using pulsed direct current magnetron sputtering. Targets based on titanium, silicon, zirconium, and nickel were employed, while different magnetron power duty cycles were applied (45/20/20/15%, 100/100/100/100%, and 45/20/20/100%). Characterization of the modified surfaces includes analysis of surface morphology, the chemical composition, and the height roughness parameters of the deposited films. Tribological properties were assessed using the Ball-on-Flat method, showing a reduction (15.4-21.1%) in the dynamic coefficient of friction compared to the reference material. In addition, surface wettability was analyzed, revealing an increase in the contact angle after thin film deposition; the highest increase (22.6%) was observed for the sample prepared at a duty cycle of 45/20/20/15%. The results confirm that pulsed DC magnetron sputtering is an effective approach for enhancing the functional properties of polymeric materials.
Keywords: Thin film, pulsed DC magnetron sputtering, surface modification, HIPS, functional properties© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.