Abstract: | Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry studies of gas condensates in plasma and pyrolysis products of plasma polymer for benzaldehyde were made. Both products' analyses indicate the significant presence of benzyl and carbonyl groups in plasma polymer samples. Infrared measurements were also used to correlate the structures suggested by GC/MS results. A radical mechanism, which involved hydrogen abstraction, aldehyde group abstraction, and benzyl fragmentation under plasma activation, was proposed. The highly crosslinked and branched structures of the plasma polymer were attributed to the subsequent reactivity of free radicals, formed as a result of the scission of the chemical bonds in the benzaldehyde molecules. |