Using a He + N₂dielectric barrier discharge for the modification of polymer surface properties

Abstract

In this paper we report on the optimization of an experimental arrangement of DBD type, aiming to work in a He + N 2 environment, applied to the surface treatment of polymers. Here the discharge was systematically investigated on an extended range of the gas mixture composition, using electric parameter measurement and emission spectroscopy. The effects of the He + N 2 -DBD treatment on the surface of a test material are examined, compared with results obtained on the He-DBD treatment. The surface characterization was performed using contact angle measurement, AFM imaging and XPS analysis, so allowing the selection of treatment parameters for reproducible, efficient and stable surface modification.

Functionalization of hydrogen-free diamond-like carbon films using open-air dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric plasma treatments

“…Actually, there is a search for new ways to apply atmospheric plasma discharges that can modify the wettability, surface energy and chemistry of modern materials. In this regard, atmospheric dielectric barrier discharges Applied Surface Science (to appear in 2008) 2 (DBD) techniques which can be used for deposition and cleaning of surfaces as well as for the activation of polymer-like surfaces [10][11][12][13]. Polymers are also materials of great interests in biomedical fields such as tissue engineering.…”

Surface modification of Raw and Frit glazes by non-thermal helium plasma jet

“…The average roughness decreased and the surface seems to be smoother. AFM analyses, reported as a result of treatment of polymers and textiles by helium or mixture of helium and nitrogen, revealed the creation of granular structure on the surface at nanoscale domain and the change of surface roughness after the plasma treatment [3,5,8,9,21]. Examining the AFM images of different parts of surface reveals that, although the effect of plasma at different parts seems to be different apparently, all of them show that the plasma jet removes a nanoscale non-uniform layer from the surface and that a non-uniform etching process occurred.…”

“…Their physical and chemical properties after plasma treatment were examined in detail as well. But there are a few studies investigated the effect of plasma on the properties of non-carbonic base surfaces and needs more investigations [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. The aim of this paper is to utilize atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet on Raw and Frit glaze surfaces to improve their paintability and explore the effect of the plasma on their surface properties which seems not fully understood so far.…”

“…Helium, in comparison with other gases, could be considered the most convenient gas working at atmospheric pressure, as it allows stabilizing homogeneous glow discharges at lower sustaining voltages and inter-electrode gaps. It is also very suitable for surface treatment because of low degradation effect and high properties of cross linking and functionalizing on to the surface [8,10]. We used helium plasma as it is capable of maintaining simultaneous stability and reactivity, while in other inert gases chemical reactivity is obtained by adding a small amount of reactive gases at the expense of stability and increasing the temperature which may cause non-uniform processing.…”

Surface and Bulk Modification of Synthetic Textiles to Improve Dyeability

“…The generation of the initial hydrophilic surface is the same in both modifications with just different outcomes based on the introduced gas stream. Figure 1 (Borcia, 2006) depicts a typical schematic for dielectric discharge modification. When the high voltage or electric field is applied in a gas layer exposed to a polymer surface, the gas molecules, in this case air, breakdown to ions to conduct electricity.…”