Surface modifications of wood materials using atmospheric pressure corona-based weakly ionized plasma

Abstract

Enhanced atmospheric pressure corona-based weakly ionized plasma was investigated to modify surface properties of wood materials. The plasma was generated using a point-to-point bare electrode geometry without dielectric barriers. The gas-phase admixture used in this work was argon and acetylene. Wood fibers were processed in the post-discharge region outside of the harsh corona environment. Return corona emanating into the high-voltage gap from the grounded screen was utilized to effectively activate acetylene molecules near the substrate. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the surface morphology of the treated and untreated substrates. The treated wood material was observed to contain on their surface nano- and micro-nodules of plasma-polymerized acetylene. Capillary rise measurements confirmed changes in the surface wettability of the substrates. The water capillary rise rate and diffusion coefficient were reduced by about 37% and 57%, respectively, for a 15-min treatment of ponderosa pine wood flour.

Effect of plasma treatment of wood fiber on the wettability, dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene composite panels

“…22 In particular, the interface adhesion of the substrate is affected by the plasma treatment. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] A distinct increase in adhesion of the substrate caused the moisture diffusional processes could be much slower because there are fewer gaps in the interfacial region which supported by FE-SEM images (Figure 7).…”

“…13 Although many studies have been made on the effect of chemical modification of the lignocellulosic fibers on the technological properties of thermoplastic composite, [3][4][5][6][7]15,16 few studies exist on the performance characteristics of these materials based on plasma treatment. [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] In this work, the effect of cold plasma treatment of wood fiber on the water uptake, dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of polypropylene composite panels were considered.…”

Super-hydrophobic and super-oleophilic surface based on high-density polyethylene/waste ground rubber tire powder thermoplastic elastomer

“…Wettability is an important characteristic of solid surface, which is governed by the chemical composition and the geometrical structure of material surface. 1,2 Currently, the creation of super-hydrophobic surfaces, with water contact angle larger than 150 and sliding angle less than 10 , has stimulated great interest due to the significance of the super-hydrophobic surfaces in fundamental research 3,4 and industrial applications, such as water repellency, 5 self-cleaning, 6 anti-icing properties, 7 anti-fouling surfaces 8 and insulations. 9 Recently, Liu et al 10 have fabricated super-hydrophobic surfaces based on thermoplastic vulcanizate via molding process, and vulcanizates [11][12][13][14] were also used to prepare super-hydrophobic surfaces; various super-hydrophobic surfaces based on thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have been reported; however, until now there is few report of TPEs involving both super-hydrophobic and super-oleophilic properties, which should be meaningful for the separating of oil/water mixture.…”