Surface modification of EPDM rubber by microwave excited plasmas

Abstract

In the present work, a microwave excited plasma (2?45 GHz, 1 kW) was used to modify the surface characteristics of the ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. The samples were treated with a mixture of nitrogen, hydrogen and argon plasmas. The operating gas pressure was in the 0?2-1 Torr range, the gas flowrate between 5 and 100 sccm and the treatment time varied from 10 to 600 s. The influence of the plasma treatment on the superficial characteristics of the samples was analysed by contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy. The results show that the plasma treatment can promote an important decrease in the contact angle from 101u for untreated sample to 34u for samples treated in a mixture of H 2 /N 2 /Ar for 2 min, which corresponds an increase on the rubber surface adhesion work from 59 to 133 mJ m 22 .

An animal glycerol potassium salt without volatile organic compounds emission combined with plasma‐atomization technology and its application in green tires

“…Plasma is an efficient and environmentally friendly physical modification method, and has been studied in some applications in the rubber. [18][19][20][21][22][23] The energy carried by the plasma is higher than the bond energy of most chemical bonds. If it is directly bombarded on the surface of the materials, some active sites will be generated, and plasma has the effects of cleaning, etching, crosslinking.…”

EPDM Rubber Modified by Nitrogen Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation

“…The plasma treatment of EPDM rubber causes oxidation and nitrization of the thin surface layer, improves the surface wettability due to new carbonyl and carboxyl groups on the surface and increases the surface roughness. These structure changes are considered a reason for improved adhesion [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. A similar effect where the surface structure changes in EPDM rubber was observed after plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) [ 27 ].…”

Influence of dielectric barrier discharge treatment on mechanical and dyeing properties of wool

“…The treatment of wool with plasma technology can promote the diffusion of organic molecules inside the fibers to enhance the dyeing rate, color fastness, wash resistance, and strong adhesion of coating with fibers. Furthermore, the high diffusion rate of organic molecules inside the fibers decreases the amount of chemicals, and colorants to achieve the desired appearance and functionalities [4,10,[21][22][23]. The improved properties as a plasma treatment is mainly originated from chemical as well as physical modification.…”