The use of low-temperature plasmas in wool finishing

Processes that occur in wool fiber under the action of a glow-discharge plasma were considered. The kinetics of plasma etching, the amino acid compositions of whole fiber and separated cuticle elements, the surface of fiber (using scanning electron microscopy and attenuated total multiple internal reflection IR spectroscopy), as well as the electrosurface, friction, and other properties, were studied. These studies demonstrated that undergoing degradation and modification were primarily the fiber cuticle and its proteins and, particularly, lipids. Important reaction paths were processes involving the transformations of free radicals. Cystine, peptide, alanine, and glycine radicals were identified on the basis of EPR spectra. Plasma treatment enhanced the wettability of wool and the diffusion of dyes into fibers upon dyeing and printing and decreased the felting ability. This treatment did not impair the physicomechanical, heat-insulation, and thermal properties of wool. However, the resulting changes somewhat decreased the hydrophilicity of wool after plasma treatment.     

Effects of plasma treatment of carbon fibers on interfacial properties of BMI resin composites

High performance continuous fiber surface modification by inductively coupled RF plasma (ICP) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) low temperature plasma were conducted. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and other analytical testing methods systematically studied plasma treatment time, discharge power, discharge pressure, etc, on fiber surface state, surface composition, and surface shape changes in the appearance and wetting properties. The results show that after plasma treatment the surface of the fiber is grafted with a large number of polar functional groups such as carboxyl groups and hydroxyl groups. The surface roughness increases, the surface free energy increases, and the fiber wetting property is significantly improved, resulting in improvement in interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) between the fiber and the resin matrix. Finally, the surfaces of the fibers and its relationship with interfacial properties of fiber reinforced bismaleimide composites are also discussed.     

Surface characteristic of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) fibers with oxygen plasma treatment

Oxygen plasma is widely employed for modification of polymer surfaces. Plasma treatment process is a convenient procedure that is also environmentally friendly. This study reports the effects of oxygen plasma treatment on the surface properties of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers. The surface characteristics before and after oxygen plasma treatment were analyzed by XPS, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and dynamic contact angle analysis (DCAA). It was found that oxygen plasma treatment introduced some new polar groups (O? C?O) on the fiber surface, increased the fiber surface roughness and changed the surface morphologies obviously by plasma etching and oxidative reactions. It is also shown that the fiber surface wettability was improved significantly by oxygen plasma treatment. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

超高分子量聚乙烯纤维表面改性的研究进展

超高分子量聚乙烯(UHMWPE)纤维具有诸多优异性能,因此被广泛应用于纤维增强复合材料(FRP)。但是由于UHMWPE纤维表面光滑且无极性基团,与树脂基体粘接性差,可通过纤维表面改性有效提高FRP的界面强度,进而提升材料性能。本文总结了近几年基于化学处理、等离子体处理、电晕放电和辐射引发表面接枝等方法对UHMWPE纤维表面改性的研究进展,并对改性方法的发展进行了展望。     

PBO纤维界面粘结性能的研究进展

介绍了PBO(聚对苯撑苯并双噁唑)纤维的结构与性能,并针对该纤维作为复合材料增强体与树脂界面粘结性差的特点,评述了PBO纤维表面改性技术中的化学法、共聚改性、偶联剂处理、等离子处理、电晕处理和辐射处理法的研究进展,并比较了各种方法的改性效果及各自优缺点。     

Interfacial studies on the ozone and air‐oxidation‐modified carbon fiber reinforced PEEK composites

In this work, ozone modification method and air‐oxidationwere used for the surface treatment of polyacrylonitrile(PAN)‐based carbon fiber. The surface characteristics of carbon fibers were characterized by XPS. The interfacial properties of carbon fiber‐reinforced (polyetheretherketone) PEEK (CF/PEEK) composites were investigated by means of the single fiber pull‐out tests. As a result, it was found that IFSS (interfacial shear strength) values of the composites with ozone‐treated carbon fiber are increased by 60% compared to that without treatment. XPS results show that ozone treatment increases the amount of carboxyl groups on carbon fiber surface, thus the interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber and PEEK matrix is effectively promoted. The effect of surface treatment of carbon fibers on the tribological properties of CF/PEEKcomposites was comparativelyinvestigated. Experimental results revealed that surface treatment can effectively improve the interfacial adhesion between carbon fiber and PEEK matrix. Thus the wear resistance was significantly improved. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯的等离子体表面改性研究

阐述了等离子体原理,综述了等离子体对聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯表面改性的研究工作,大量的实验数据表明了这种方法可以成功改善各种性能。等离子体处理后PET材料表面粗糙度增加,并产生化学基团,因此可改善以下各种性能:润湿性、粘接性、染色性、抗静电性,对人体的生物相容性,添加TiO2的杀菌性,PET表面化学镀金属的性能。PET表面的刻蚀作用,导致其重量的减轻,可替代部分碱减量处理。     

Thermal stability of plasma deposited polysilanes

A new method for studying thermal stability and concomitant chemical composition changes on thermal treatment of thin polymeric films is presented. It is applied to the study of thermal properties and modification of properties of polysilane-like materials with variable dimensionality prepared by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Structure and microphysical properties of these materials, modified by progressive annealing, are examined by fluorimetry, FTIR absorption spectroscopy and XPS. In addition, the role, bonding conditions and structural environments of organic moieties as well as their influence on thermal degradation processes are examined. It is found that plasma polysilanes undergo three consecutive thermal degradation processes: Si-Si bond cleavage, elimination of side groups and final carbide formation. Presence of disorder and crosslinking stabilises the plasmatic material in comparison to classically prepared polysilanes. Nanostructural units in low dimensional polysilanes enable the peak of the luminescence to be adjusted in the spectral range from near UV (360 nm) to red (600 nm).     

Study of the wettability properties of polypropylene nonwoven mats by low‐pressure oxygen plasma treatment

Surface modification by plasma treatment is widely used for textiles and polymeric materials. Plasma processes are environmentally friendly and reduce chemicals and energy consumption. This study reports the effect of cold, low‐pressure oxygen plasma on the wettability properties of polypropylene (PP) nonwoven mats. The wetting properties were examined using contact angle, surface energy, and diameters of the drop after 20 s of treatment. It was found that plasma treatment had a significant effect on the wettability of PP fibers. The ageing for 90 days had no significant effect on the wettability. It was also shown that the morphology of the fibers was not affected by the plasma treatment. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stability and ageing of plasma treated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) surfaces

In this study CO₂, H₂/H₂O and H₂O low pressure plasma treatment of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) foils and of thin plasma deposited fluorocarbon polymer (PDFP) films with a structure close to PTFE was investigated. The properties of the plasma were analyzed by mass spectroscopy (MS) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The modified fluorocarbon surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, electrokinetic measurements and dynamic contact angle measurements in order to find optimized treatment conditions. The results of the surface modification were compared with respect to the efficiency of the plasma treatment and the stability of the modification effect at different ambient conditions. It was shown that the H₂O plasma treatment is the most effective process for the intended modification. The hydrophobic PTFE surface was converted into a more hydrophilic one. The introduced radicals after the H₂O plasma treatment can be utilized subsequently for post plasma reactions such as grafting processes.     

Interface characteristic of aramid fiber reinforced poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) composite

Interface is an important microstructure for advanced polymer‐matrix composite. The composite interface is the bridge and the link for stress transferring between the fiber and the matrix resin. In this work, oxygen plasma treatment was used for modification of aramid fiber surface. The effects of plasma treatment power on interlaminar shear strength of composite were evaluated by short‐beam shear test. The morphologies of both the aramid fiber surface and its composite interface fracture were observed by SEM. The chemical structure and surface chemical composition of the plasma‐treated and separated fibers were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and XPS, respectively. The results showed that the interlaminar shear strength of composite was enhanced by 33% with plasma treatment power of 200 W. The FTIR and XPS results indicated that the active functional groups were introduced onto the aramid fiber surface by plasma treatment forming chemical bonds with the poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) resin. The SEM results proved that the aramid fiber surface was roughened by plasma treatment enhancing the mechanical bond with the poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) resin. The composite rupture occurred from the composite interface to the fiber or the matrix resin. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

连续纤维增强含二氮杂萘酮联苯结构聚芳醚砜酮树脂基复合材料的界面

利用射频感性耦合冷等离子体(ICP)处理技术改性连续纤维表面,分别采用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、原子力显微镜(AFM)及动态接触角分析(DCA)系统研究了等离子体处理时间、放电气压、放电功率等工艺参数对连续碳纤维、芳纶纤维和对亚苯基苯并二噁唑(PBO)纤维的表面化学成分、表面形貌、表面粗糙度及表面自由能的影响.研究结...     

Plasma Surface Modification of Biomedical Polymers: Influence on Cell-Material Interaction

Polymers are commonly used in industry because of their excellent bulk properties, such as strength and good resistance to chemicals. Their surface properties are for most application inadequate due to their low surface energy. A surface modification is often needed, and plasma surface modification is used with success the past decades. In the past few years, also plasma surface modification for biomedical polymers has been investigated. For biomedical polymers, the surface properties need to be altered to promote a good cell adhesion, growth and proliferation and to make them suitable for implants and tissue engineering scaffolds. This review gives an overview of the use of plasma surface modification of biomedical polymers and the influence on cell-material interactions. First, an introduction on cell-material interaction and on antibacterial and antifouling surfaces will be given. Also, different plasma modifying techniques used for polymer surface modification will be discussed. Then, an overview of literature on plasma surface modification of biopolymers and the resulting influence on cell-material interaction will be given. After an overview of plasma treatment for improved cell-material interaction, plasma polymerization and plasma grafting techniques will be discussed. Some more specialized applications will be also presented: the treatment of 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering and the spatial control of cell adhesion. Antibacterial and antifouling properties, obtained by plasma techniques, will be discussed. An overview of research dealing with antibacterial surfaces created by plasma techniques will be given, antifouling surfaces will be discussed, and how blood compatibility can be improved by preventing protein adhesion.     

The surface modification of carbon fiber for thermoplastic HDPE composites

The interfacial adhesion strength between the fiber and the matrix greatly affects the properties of the carbon fiber (CF)–reinforced composite. The presence of surface functional groups on the fiber and changes in surface roughness were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of surface modification of CF on the mechanical properties and tribological properties of the composites is enhanced. The performance has been significantly improved. SEM analysis showed that modification had a positive effect on the interface between fiber and matrix. In the paper, the method of CF modification and the treatment of enhanced high-density polyethylene have simple and effective characteristics, which can be widely used and have guiding significance for industrial production.     

Comparative study of the structure of products of plasma modification of globular and fibrillar proteins

The molecular-mass distribution and amino acid composition of globular (albumin, lysozyme) and fibrillar (collagen) proteins subjected to treatment in electron-beam plasmas of various gases were experimentally studied. The samples were treated in the forms of powders and freeze-dried thin films. The electron-beam plasma treatment of powdered collagen resulted in the formation of low-molecular-mass compounds only. The modification of albumin and lysozyme was accompanied by polymerization of the proteins against the background of insignificant degradation. The plasma-stimulated processes occurred in the surface layer of powder particles, whereas the bulk of the sample remained intact. The degradation and polymerization processes in thin films of globular proteins occurred throughout the entire volume of the sample.     

Atomic force microscopy investigation of cold‐plasma‐treated poly(ethyleneterephthalate) textiles

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been applied to investigate the morphological and topographical surface modifications induced by radiofrequency cold plasma processing of poly(ethyleneterephthalate) textiles. Surface effects are analysed in low‐pressure air plasma for different plasma exposure times. The results show a progressive degradation of the surface with increasing roughness. The analysis suggests that modification of the surface during textile treatment may be ascribed to a plasma‐induced physical process. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improvement of PBO fiber surface and PBO/PPESK composite interface properties with air DBD plasma treatment

The interface of fibrous composites is a key factor to the whole properties of the composites. In this study, the effects of air dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma discharge power density on surface properties of poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fiber and the interfacial adhesion of PBO fiber reinforced poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) composite were investigated by several characterization methods, including XPS, SEM, signal fiber tensile strength, interlaminar shear strength, and water absorption. After the air DBD plasma treatment at a power density of 41.4 W/cm³, XPS analysis showed that some polar functional groups were introduced on the PBO fiber surface, especially the emergence of a new oxygen‐containing group (?O–C = O group). SEM observations revealed that the air DBD plasma treatment had a great influence on surface morphologies of the PBO fiber, while the signal fiber tensile strength results showed only a small decline of 5.9% for the plasma‐treated fiber. Meanwhile, interlaminar shear strength value of PBO/PPESK composite was increased to 44.71 MPa by 34.5% and water absorption of the composite decreased from 0.46% for the untreated specimen to 0.27%. The results showed that the air DBD plasma treatment can effectively improve the properties of the PBO fiber surface and the PBO/PPESK composite interface. Results obtained from the above analyses also showed that both the fiber surface and the composite interface performance would be reduced when an undue plasma discharge power density was applied. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Impact of SF<Subscript>6</Subscript> Plasma on the Properties of Graphene Oxide

The paper considers the effect of SF₆ plasma-chemical treatment on the processes of defect formation and the electrical properties of graphene oxide partially reduced by heat treatment. The fluorine content on the graphene oxide surface is shown to increase as a result of SF₆ plasma treatment, depending on the plasma power and the duration of the treatment. The measured electrical parameters testify increased resistance of graphene oxide films as a result of plasma treatment. The rate of resistance change depends on the thickness of the films and is minimal for thin structures (～10 nm). Further heating of graphene oxide decreases its resistance, but the content of surface fluorine changes insignificantly. Thin films (10-15 nm) exhibit the smallest change of their resistance as a result of annealing. The highest rate of resistance change is observed for non-fluorinated samples. The obtained data indicate that only several nanometers of nearsurface layers are subject to SF₆ plasma fluorination. The results testify the possibility of using SF₆ plasma treatment as an effective tool for selective fluorination of graphene oxide surface layers and controlled modification of its properties without changing the bulk properties of the material.     

Study of properties of modified silicones at solid-liquid interface: fabric-silicone interactions

Silicones are special reagents that impart desired surface properties such as softness, bounciness and antiwrinkle properties to fabrics and related materials. Although these finishing processes have been practiced routinely, very little is known about the mechanisms involved in modification so that they could be improved. The current study was undertaken to develop basic understanding of the mechanisms responsible for surface modification of fibers using silicones. PDMS based amino silicone emulsions, quaternized to various degrees using dimethyl sulphate, were used in the present study. The electrokinetic properties of the modified silicones were studied as a function of pH. It was expected that the silicone emulsions would show a steady positive zeta potential throughout the pH range due to the quaternization by dimethyl sulphate. Surprisingly, a sudden drop in the zeta potential was observed around pH 8 with the samples turning hazy in the pH range of 8-10. Turbidimetric studies also showed a sudden increase in the turbidity in the pH range 8-10 where commercial processes also encounter problems. It was concluded that the emulsions were destabilized at pH 8-10 thus rendering them ineffective for surface treatment. In order to identify reason for the improvement in fabric properties, fiber structure was monitored using atomic force microscopy. It was observed that the treated fibers were far smoother, relaxed and uniform as compared to the untreated fibers. Thus the morphology of the fabric is modified in a specific way by treatment with specialty silicones.     

On the surface modification of microchannels for microcapillary electrophoresis chips

This paper presents systematic investigation of the microchannel surface properties in microCE chips. Three popular materials for microCE chips, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), quartz, and glass, are used. The zeta potentials of these microchannels are calculated by measuring the EOF velocity to evaluate the surface properties after surface modification. The hydrophobic PDMS is usually plasma-treated for microCE applications. In this study, a new method using a high-throughput atmospheric plasma generator is adopted to treat the PDMS surface under atmospheric conditions. In this approach, the cost and time for surface treatment can be significantly reduced compared with the conventional vacuum plasma generator method. Experimental results indicate that new functional groups could be formed on the PDMS surface after treatment, resulting in a change in the surface property. The time-dependent surface property of the plasma-treated PDMS is then measured in terms of the zeta potential. Results show that the surface property will reach a stable condition after 1 h of plasma treatment. For glass CE chips, two new methods for changing the microchannel surface properties are developed. Instead of using complicated and time-consuming chemical silanization procedures for CE channel surface modification, two simple and reliable methods utilizing organic-based spin-on-glass and water-soluble acrylic resin are reported. The proposed method provides a fast batch process for controlling the surface properties of glass-based CE channels. The proposed methods are evaluated using PhiX-174 DNA maker separation. The experimental data show that the surface property is modified and separation efficiency greatly improved. In addition, the long-term stability of both coatings is verified in this study. The methods proposed in this study show potential as an excellent solution for glass-based microCE chip surface modification.