Surface modification by corona discharge plasma is one of the most interesting industrial applications for surface modification compared with other techniques which require vacuum conditions. In this work, we have used the corona discharge plasma technique to modify the wettability properties of low density polyethylene (LDPE) film. The effects of this treatment on the surface of LDPE film have been quantified by contact angle measurements, Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. With these methods, we have determined how the treatment modifies, activates and functionalizes the surface of LDPE film, increasing its hydrophilic behavior, and how the process parameters influence the uniformity and homogeneity of the treated surface. The results obtained show good treatment homogeneity and an improvement of adhesion properties by the functionalization and etching of the film surface.
The aim of this work was to study the durability of a polypropylene film plasma-treated with an 80 : 20 methane-oxygen gas mixture. Three different storage conditions were used to evaluate the influence of the relative humidity and temperature on the aging process. The surface functionalization of the polypropylene film was analyzed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance/Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, and the variations of the surface energy and its polar and dispersive components were also investigated. The effects of this plasma treatment were similar to those of a plasma polymerization process, the ablation and polymerization mechanisms taking place simultaneously at the treated surface, but in this case, we obtained hydrophilic properties. The obtained results indicated an improvement of wettability and high durability of the plasma-treated polypropylene film.
Low pressure glow discharge nitrogen plasma has been used to improve wettability in a low density polyethylene (LDPE) film for technical applications. The plasma treatment was carried out at a power of 300 W for different exposure times in the 1-20 min range. Wettability changes were analyzed using contact angle measurements. In addition to this, plasma-treated samples were subjected to an aging process to determine the durability of the plasma treatment. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were used for surface characterization. The nitrogen plasma treatment considerably reduced contact angle values thus indicating an increase in surface wettability. The spectroscopic study showed presence of oxygen-based species on the plasma-treated samples, which are mainly generated after the plasma treatment as a consequence of air exposure. These polar species contribute to improve surface functionalization, but this is almost lost during aging due to the hydrophobic recovery process. Microscopic studies revealed that also small changes in surface roughness occurred during the plasma treatment but these are very low compared to surface activation. The results confirmed that low pressure nitrogen can be considered as an environmentally efficient process to improve wettability in low density polyethylene films. V V C 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45:
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