| Abstract: | Poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) fabric is important as a reinforcement for highperformance rubber diaphragms, such as fluorosilicone diaphragms. Because of their low affinities for each other, it is difficult to develop a good adhesion bond between poly(m-aramide) fiber and fluorosilicone rubber. The present study demonstrates that the bond strength between a poly(maramide) fabric and fluorosilicone rubber can be improved through N2 plasma treatment of the fabric in combination with a silane coupling agent. The effectiveness of the treatment is dependent on the gas species, the plasma input power, and the time of exposure. The chemical changes in the fabric surface were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It turned out that free radicals were formed on the surface after the N2 plasma treatment, which enabled the bonding of the coupling agent to the fabric surface. |
