The use of peel tests to examine the self adhesion of polyimide films

Peel tests were used to examine the adhesion between two layers of the polyimide pyro- mellitic dianhydride-oxydianiline (PMDA-ODA). The main thrust of this work was to examine these tests with particular emphasis on yielding in bending of the peeled strips. Two peel geometries and a range of sample thicknesses were used to study interfaces whose strength could be varied over a wide range by changing the cure schedule. The peel strength varied with strip thickness and often reached a peak at an intermediate thickness. The results were shown to agree qualitatively with a combination of two theoretical models for the effects of yielding on peel tests. It was also found that a second problem of polyimide adhesion, the effect of solvent swelling, could significantly enhance the adhesion between polyimide layers. © 1992, VSP. All rights reserved.