The Uniform Si-O Coating on Cotton Fibers by an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment

A uniform Si-O coating on cotton fabric was produced at atmospheric pressure by a plasma treatment. Before the plasma discharge, a pretreatment with hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO)-ethanol mixture solvents on the fabric was employed. The surface morphology and chemical structure of the plasma-treated fibers were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The SEM results showed that a uniform, continuous film was formed on the cotton fiber surface. It was much rougher than the uncoated fiber. The FTIR results showed that the coatings contained most of the Si-O functional groups. These Si-O bonds, broken from the Si-O-Si functional groups by the plasma electron impact, had connected with the cellulose by chemical bonds of Si-O-Cellulose. XRD patterns revealed the existence of a crystalline structure within the thin coating film. The UV-vis transmission of the cotton textile was greatly reduced by such coatings.