Patent ID: 7225561

Claim:
A process for the activation by oxyfluorination of at least part of a surface of a solid, which process includes exposing, under selected conditions of temperature and pressure and for a selected reaction time, at least part of the surface of the material of the solid to an oxyfluorinating atmosphere which is a gas/vapour mixture which includes at least one fluorine-containing gas which reacts with the material of the exposed surface, at least one oxygen-containing gas which reacts with the material of the exposed surface, and water vapour, said gases in the oxyfluorinating atmosphere acting to oxyfluorinate the exposed surface, thereby to activate the exposed surface to enhance the amenability of the exposed surface to adhesive bonding to other materials, the process including the steps whereby, in combination, the solid material which is subjected to activation by oxyfluorination is selected from the group whose members consist of carbon, polymeric materials having constituents which are confined to carbon and hydrogen, elastomeric materials having constituents which are not confined to carbon and hydrogen and which include, in addition to carbon and hydrogen, other atomic species as constituents, and mixtures of any two or more of said members; the exposing of the solid surface to the oxyfluorinating atmosphere is carried our on a continuous basis by continuously transporting the solid through an open-ended reaction chamber; and the water vapour acts further to enhance the amenability of the exposed surface, provided by the oxyfluorination achieved by said gases, to adhesive bonding to said other materials.