In this paper, we report the surface activation of polycarbonate by linear dielectric barrier plasma treatment at one atmospheric pressure. Different analytical techniques were used to determine the changes in the surface characteristics of polycarbonate: Static and dynamic water contact angle examinations showed that the hydrophobicity of the surface decreased after being exposed to linear atmospheric pressure plasma; optical emission spectroscopy was used to identify the chemical species in the plasma before and after surface exposure; the variations in the surface morphology and chemical structure of polycarbonate were confirmed by atomic force microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The latter clearly showed an increased surface concentration of oxygen‐containing functional groups after linear atmospheric pressure plasma treatment. Our experimental results display the essential role of polar atmospheric contaminants in the interaction between linear plasma and a polycarbonate surface and demonstrate that the input plasma power can be tuned to tailor the final hydrophilicity of the polymeric material.

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