Chemistry and adhesion of metal-polymer interfaces

This paper briefly reviews the present knowledge of the chemistry and adhesion of metal-polymer interfaces formed on PMDA-ODA polyimide. The nature of chemical bonding was deduced from electronic structures observed by photoemission spectroscopies and interpreted by molecular orbital calculations. Bonding at the initial coverages of the metals studied are well described by the formation of metal-polymer complexes as a result of delocalized charge transfer from the metal to the polymer repeat unit. The adhesion energies of several interfaces have been measured using a stretch deformation method. The results of these interface studies show a good overall correlation of chemistry to the microstructure and adhesion characteristics of the metal-polymer interface. © 1989.