ABSTRACT
Thin coatings o f metals on polymer surfaces are required for a variety o f technological applications. In most cases, the metal-polymer adhesion must be strong and stable, a condition best reached by the creation o f direct chemical bonding at the interface. However, very few metals are sufficiently reactive to spontaneously disrupt the termination bonding at a polymer surface to make new interface complexes, even at elevated temperatures. Thus, the adhesion o f a metal film such as gold, vapor deposited directly on a polymer such as Teflon, is weak or non-existent, and depends only on van der Waals forces or topographical interlocking.
