Low-temperature plasma as the basis for creation of modern textile chemical technologies

Abstract

The prospects for use of plasma technologies in the textile industry finishing plant in preparation, dyeing, and final finishing of fabrics of different chemical nature are evaluated. It is shown that plasma has the greatest effect on unbleached textile materials due to the important change in their hydrophilicity. Rational schemes of including the stage of plasma activation in finishing of fabrics to increase product quality and economy of manufacture are proposed.The physicochemical activity of plasma, known for more than 100 years, began to be investigated systematically only at the end of the 1950s. Studies of nonequilibrium plasma and plasma chemical processes in processing of polymer, including fibre-forming polymer, materials have been conducted in Ivanovo for more than four decades. The concept of structural and chemical modification of the surface of a polymer, which changes the properties of the material, has now been developed in detail and can be used in concrete manufacturing processes.Improving the adhesive properties and strength characteristics is the basic problem in modification of film materials. For textile materials, the spectrum of solvable problems has broadened significantly. Based on an analysis of many publications, including reviews [1-3], we can with some confidence define the general and particular characteristics of alteration of the properties of textile materials. In most studies of the effect of plasma on polymer, including textile, materials, the processes that take place in gaseous medium in plasma treatment are examined and the effect of the treatment conditions on the final result, that is, changes in the chemical and physical nature of the material, the performance properties, and process effects, is evaluated. These changes basically consist of improved hydrophilicity, low shrinkage, low felting ability (for materials containing wool), and improved strength characteristics [4][5][6][7][8].By varying the type and duration of discharge, current value, and flow rate of plasma-forming gas, it is possible to significantly affect the direction of the effects of plasma treatment [2]. In addition, textile materials as objects of plasma treatment that have a different chemical nature, large variety of structures, and different types of finishing in turn affect the efficiency of the plasma effect [9].The variety of manufacturing operations in the textile finishing plant, extremely high volumes of water consumed, enormous wastes and waste treatment costs make the use of dry processing of fabrics and plasma chemical finishing involving few operations most promising.A series of vacuum plasma chemical units developed and manufactured at Ivanovo Scientific-Research Experimental Design Machine Building Institute and designed for processing fabrics of different width and density [10] makes the use of plasma technologies in industry real. More than ten years experience in operating plasma chemical equipment at Pavlovoposad Handkerchief Manufacture OJSC (Pavlovo Posad, Moscow Region) demonstra...

Plasma Treatment in Textile Industry

“…Once again, despite the high efficiency of treatment with low‐pressure plasma, the wide use of plasma technologies has been held back by a number of factors discussed earlier. Moreover, in the finishing of a textile the use of atmospheric‐pressure plasma especially DBD plasma has been proposed as a suitable alternative . Nowadays, the elevated capacity of DBD plasma for oxidative degradation, including dyes and the comparatively easier plasma polymerization process show that DBD technologies have reached the technological maturity and are ready for commercial industrial applications.…”

Plasma modification of natural cellulosic fibres

“…24 Several studies on plasma surface modifi cation of cellulose-based textiles have been conducted, using glowdischarge technology at low pressure [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] as well as barrier discharge and corona treatments at atmospheric pressure. [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] In both cases, active particles such as radicals, ions, electrons and photons are generated, which under reduced pressure have a much larger free path length as compared with the process at atmospheric pressure. Consequently, the treatment at atmospheric pressure normally occurs in a narrow slit, while the treatment at low pressure is performed in a reactor with a volume adapted to the size of the samples.…”

Adhesion improvement at polyester fabric-silicone rubber interface by plasmas of argon and air to obtain conveyor belt

“…Plasma processing is a dry and environmentally-friendly technique, which does not call for a vast supply of water, heating or drying, and requires only little amounts of chemicals to reach the desired functionality. Investigating literature, it is seen that plasma treatment about polyester materials are focused on wettability, dyeability and yield in wet treatment [3,12,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Applying plasma technology, it is possible to obtain or increase the number of chemical groups at the interface that enhance binding between polymer and fiber.…”