Modification of Polymer Characteristics by laser and ion beams

In this work two different techniques to modify the polymeric surfaces are compared; Laser irradiation and ion implantation were performed on Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) samples. The irradiation treatment was performed by using two different laser sources operating in the UV and IR range, applying many laser shots in air atmosphere on the polymer surface. Ion implantation was performed using a new LIS (Laser Ion Source) accelerator with an accelerating voltage of 40 kV. Contact angle, roughness and Fourier Transform Infra Red (FT-IR) measurements were performed on the samples before and after the two treatments in order to obtain information on the UHMWPE modification.