AbstractThe iodine treatment of nylon surfaces consist essentially of dipping the nylon in an iodine—potassium iodide solution and quickly rinsing the absorbed iodine out of nylon surfaces using glycol—water—thiosulfate as a wash solution. The treatment was found to profoundly affect the adhesion between the nylon and an electrolessly deposited metal on its surface. The adhesion changes from no adhesion for an untreated nylon surface to a maximum of 28 lb/in. for a treated sample. The adhesion is dependent mainly on the nature of the nylon surface (crystallinity, molecular weight, etc.), the duration of the iodine treatment, and the nature and conditions of the wash solution. Electron microscope pictures of the nylon surface after the iodine treatment show a shallow etching pattern, and therefore mechanical keying between the metal and the polymer is not a probable factor of importance. Under certain experimental conditions, the iodine treatment changes the crystallinity from the α‐form predominant in the nylon before treating the sample to the γ‐form. It also decreases the overall crystallinity of the surface, softens the polymer, and improves its water wettability. All the above changes enhance a more intimate interaction between the deposited metal and
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