Effect of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge treatment on the triboelectric charging properties of brominated Polyethylene granules

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment on the triboelectric charging properties of granular materials containing brominated flame retardants (BFRs). This work focuses on the impact of treatment time and the applied voltage frequency. Experiments were carried out on Polyethylene (PE) particles containing 40000 ppm of bromine (PE 4.6 % of Hexabromobenzene) and BFR-free PE. The DBD treated particles were then charged by triboelectric effect in a multi-cylinder device. The triboelectric charge acquired by each sample was quantified using a Faraday cage connected to an electrometer. The humidity of the ambient air ranged between 51 % and 60 % and the temperature varied from 16.5 °C to 19 °C during the experiments. Results show the significant influence of DBD treatment time on the triboelectric charging of brominated and non-brominated PE granules. In case of brominated PE, the particles acquire less charge than the non-brominated ones. Furthermore, it was found that the charge of DBD-treated particles is influenced by the applied voltage frequency. The observed variation in triboelectric behavior may be attributed to the changes in the roughness and wettability of the polymer surface caused by DBD.