The effect of low-pressure air plasma treatment on the wettability and surface energy of polyvinyl chloride films

Low-pressure plasma in a RF discharge of air is employed to introduce a polar function to a polyvinyl chloride surface to enhance the wettability and activation. A clear increase in the surface energy of the surface of a polymer due to air plasma treatment was observed. The surfaces become highly hydrophilic after treatment. The effect of plasma treatment on the morphology and wettability of the surfaces were characterized by using a static contact angle measurement and attenuated total reflection-FTIR spectroscopy.