Photoinduced Electrification at the Contact Interface between Photosensitive Layer and Insulator Films

Abstract

The behavior of electrification induced by photopolymerization at the contact interface between photosensitive layer and insulator films was studied with the aim of developing a new recording material and the methord of preparing plastic electrets. The photosensitive system to induce electrification is m ade of a photosensitive layer, comprising a polymer as a binder, an initiator for photopolymerization, a chain-transfer agent and acrylic monomer, which is coated on aluminium plate, and a polymeric insulator film as a contact material is then laminated on the photosensitive layer. Negative or positive charge was induced on the polymerized layer surface by peeling off the cover film after imagewise exposure according to the triboelectric series of the contact films. The negative charge was obtained with the films such as 66 nylon and poly(vinyl alcohol) that tend to be positive charge in the triboelectric series. In contrast with that, the positive charge was obtained with cellulose triacetate or polyethylene film that tends to be negative. The quantity of the charge induced on the layer also depended on the triboelectric series of the films, and on the thickness and the composition of the photosensitive layer. The above and other experimental results suggest that the photoinduced electrification is attributed to the contact tribocharging involving the contraction of the photosensitive layer.