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.