Microwave plasma discharge-assisted surface modification of PVA films: coatings and food packaging

Abstract

In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film was treated with low-cost microwave oven oxygen plasma. A number of several types of microscopies, including scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle and work of adhesion, were utilized in order to investigate the impact that the plasma had on the PVA film. After plasma treatment, it was discovered that the contact angle had decreased from 39° ± 0.4 to 20.8° ± 0.2, which suggests that the surface property had changed to a hydrophilic state due to increased hydroxyl groups (C=O, O=C–O) according to our finding from the results of XPS. The increase in surface roughness was observed. Recent research suggests that the properties of PVA can be modified by adjusting the degree of oxidation, which could lead to new improvements in applications based on PVA. This could pave the way for food packaging, air-conditioner panels, and coating applications.

Surface activation of thin polyvinyl alcohol films by atmospheric pressure plasma jet: Influence of electron temperature

“…Based on our study and previous literature, [ 9,35–37 ] we propose a mechanism for the plasma treatment of PVA, as illustrated in Figure 7. Oxygen species in the plasma play a vital role in initiating reactions by forming alkyl radicals and subsequently converting them into peroxy radicals.…”

Investigating surface and wettability properties of Na2Ti3O7/Na2Ti6O13/PVA composites

“…As a result of a more qualitative morphological analysis, figure 3 presents the surface micrographs of the produced films. Pure PVA has a smooth surface shape [29][30][31][32], as shown in figure 3(a), in contrast to that observed in figure 3(b) which shows the PVA surface with the addition of titanate (sample PVA_WHT), changing the microstructure of the PVA film, resulting in certain observed structures that correspond to slightly swollen grains. On the other hand, for the PVA_AHT sample (figure 3(c)), in which the titanate powder that underwent heat treatment was added, another modification is observed, with small wrinkles appearing on the surface of the membrane.…”

“…From the images it is possible to observe the hydrophilic characteristic of the studied samples. To evaluate the changes caused by the insertion processes of titanate and calcined titanate, contact angle values were calculated for PVA (54.5 ± 1.4°), PVA_WHT (74.5 ± According to the literature, the PVA surface has a variety of applications due to its hydrophilic qualities that come from the hydroxyl groups [30,31].…”

Cold Plasma Technology Based Eco-Friendly Food Packaging Biomaterials

“…The most sustainable method of processing is plasma. Since it only modifies the surface properties of the polymer without influencing the bulk properties, it is a low-temperature, low-cost, non-toxic, and efficient method of surface modification [ 7 ]. Figure 1 shows the various property requirements for polymeric packaging materials.…”