Plasma treatment of polymer powders – from laboratory research to industrial application

Abstract

This review provides a comprehensive overview of scientific research on plasma treatment of polymer powders over the last 40 years. The current state of the art is described with special focus on basic research in the laboratory and commercially available technologies in industrial applications. Different reactor systems with low‐pressure and atmospheric pressure plasma are presented. Then, numerous application examples of plasma‐treated polymer powders are presented together with a brief overview of the experimental test results. Furthermore, the effects of the process parameters on the final properties of the polymer powders are discussed. Attempts are made to determine similarity parameters and correlations between the generated surface functionalities. Finally, some suggestions for future research are given.

Plasma Activation of Polyethylene Powder

“…The curve is not linear but rather parabolic. This observation is different from the results reported in [ 9 ] for the case of PE powder treated in a fluidized bed reactor, where a linear relationship was observed. The discrepancy may be due to the thermal effects likely to occur in such experimental setups.…”

“…Various solutions have appeared to overcome the problem of inhomogeneous treatment. A comprehensive review was published recently by Arpagaus et al [ 9 ]. The possible solutions include the fluidization [ 10 , 11 ], rotation [ 12 ], vibration and conveying [ 13 ] and stirring [ 14 , 15 ].…”

Effects of process conditions on the chemistry of an Ar/C2H2 dust‐forming plasma

“…Plasmas with nano‐ and micrometer‐sized particles (dust particles) are useful for various applications and are also of great fundamental interest . The dust particles can either be injected into laboratory plasmas from outside or can grow inside due to different chemical reactions.…”

Plasma Treatment of Polymer Powder as an Effective Tool to Functionalize Polymers: Case Study Application on an Amphiphilic Polyurethane

“…Hence, powder plasma treatment can be successfully applied if combined with a mixing apparatus for powders. Based on its efficiency, inexpensiveness, and environmental compatibility, plasma treatment of powders has found widespread application in the development of powder additives for printing inks, paints, thermoplastics, coating, and cosmetics, as recently thoroughly surveyed by Arpagaus et al [12].…”