Detection and Visualization of Minor Irradiation-Induced Changes in Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by Raman Spectroscopy.

Exposure of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to argon plasma results in chemical modification of the polymer near the surface. Interestingly, PTFE modification can be induced by the sub-band gap ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. In the latter case, the changes in the chemical structure are very subtle, and they are practically invisible to conventional experimental techniques.