Chemical Analysis of the Polyester/Metal Surface of a Delamination Failure

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A polymer film lamination shows an unexpected delamination failure. The lamination is produced by adhesive laminating a previously printed metallized polyester film to a LLDPE sealant. In use the lamination is found to fail by delamination between the polyester film and the metal layer. Chemical surface analysis of the failure surface by X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) indicates a degraded polyester surface creating a weak boundary layer at the polyester/metal interface which is the cause of the delamination. Possible causes for the degraded polyester surface are discussed.