Abstract
The methods of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and scanning electron
microscopy (SEM) have been used to investigate aspects of the bonding of bis-1,2-(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) onto anodized
samples of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy that have been subjected to the various pre-treatments considered in Part I. The oxide layer
thins when this sample is subjected to a Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) treatment; topographical changes are detected by
SEM after only 5 min, and the ‘‘scallop structures’’ increase in size for longer times of the FPL treatment. These 7075-Al
surfaces adsorb more BTSE than the high-purity Al samples considered in Part I, although the interfacial bonding indicated by
the [AlOSi]+
/[Al2O]+ SIMS ratios measured for the former samples are constant for different times of FPL treatment, unlike the
situation for high-purity Al. Heating anodized 7075-Al samples, either before or after FPL treatment, has no significant effect on
the subsequent BTSE adsorption, but a H2 plasma treatment can enhance the interfacial Al–O–Si bonding with a decrease in the
total BTSE polymerization