Microstructure and adhesive properties of TiO 2 coating on PU and PVC leathers.

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) films were deposited onto polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) leather by magnetron sputtering, respectively. The crystal structure of the prepared film was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the surface morphology of the TiO₂ films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The SEM and AFM observations revealed that the surface roughness of the substrates was an extremely important influencing factor on the morphology of the TiO₂ films. Moreover, a calculation formulation on the weight loss of per peeling force was proposed to determine the bonding strength between the TiO₂ films and the substrates. It was found that the adhesive performance of the TiO₂ nanofilms coating on PVC leather was better than that on the substrate of the PU leather. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]