Surface and adhesion properties of poly(ethylene glycol) on polyester(polyethylene terephthalate) fabric surface: Effect of air‐atmospheric plasma treatment

The surface and adhesion properties of different molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) (400, 1500, and 3000 g/mol) on untreated and air‐atmospheric plasma‐treated PET woven fabrics were studied, with the aim of developing durable hydrophilic PET fibrous structures. PEG application was carried out by padding of the PET fabric in aqueous solution of PEG followed by curing and drying. The surface properties of the PEG‐coated PET fabrics were then characterized using wicking test to measure the water contact angle (θ°) and capillary weight (W_c), and using atomic force microscopy (AFM) images in the tapping mode. Results showed that without a prior air‐atmospheric plasma treatment of the PET fabric, the water contact angle decreased and capillary weight increased with the three PEGs, implying an increase in the hydrophilicity of both inner and outer PET fabric fiber surface. Air‐plasma treatment of the PET fabrics before PEG coating increases further the hydrophilicity of the inner fabric fiber surface: the capillary weight was almost doubled in the case of the three PEGs. Best results were obtained with PEG 1500: water contact angle decreasing from 82° to 51°, and the capillary weight increasing from 11 mg to 134 mg. Moreover, wash fastness test at room temperature and at 80°C confirms improved adhesion of PEG‐1500 to the plasma‐treated PET woven fabric surface, while under the same conditions the plasma‐treated PET without PEG loses completely its hydrophilic character. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.     

Atmospheric Plasma Surface Activation of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Film for Roll-To-Roll Application of Transparent Conductive Coating

An effective surface activation is crucial for high-speed roll-to-roll coating of functional films for printed electronics applications. In this article, we report a study of surface treatment of three types of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films by an argon/oxygen atmospheric pressure plasma and an ambient air atmospheric pressure plasma to obtain the required wettability for subsequent slot die coating of transparent conductive polymer layer using a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) ink. Prior to plasma treatment, the PET surfaces, which differ in manufacturing process of their preparation, were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The surface changes after the plasma treatments were characterized by water contact angle measurement and atomic force microscopy. We found that the water contact angles of the three types of untreated PET surfaces were 80.9°, 75.9°, and 66.3°, respectively, and the water contact angles after argon/oxygen plasma treatment at treatment speed of 1 m · min^?1 decreased to 36.2°, 31.9°, and 40.9°, respectively. These conditions were stable from 1 up to 4 days, which are longer than reported values of 15–60 min and sufficient for roll-to-roll coating processes.     

Thermal crosslinking of collagen immobilized on poly(acrylic acid) grafted poly(ethylene terephthalate) films

Graft polymerization of acrylic acid onto plasma‐treated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films was used to prepare surfaces suitable for collagen immobilization by dip‐coating. Such surfaces could be used as matrices for smooth muscle cell cultures in tissue engineering. Contact angle measurements showed that plasma‐treated and grafted PET films undergo considerable surface reorganization during storage under ambient conditions. However, after collagen immobilization the contact angle remained relatively stable. The amount of collagen initially attached to the film surface increased with increasing poly(acrylic acid) graft density, but subsequent washing in water led to significant collagen loss. This loss could nevertheless be substantially reduced by thermal crosslinking of the collagen in the range 110–130 °C. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations suggested that the washed crosslinked collagen has a very similar structure to that of the un‐crosslinked collagen. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1874–1880, 2002     

Argon low‐temperature plasma modification of chopped aramid fiber and its effect on paper performance of aramid sheets

Chopped aramid fiber was modified by an argon low‐temperature plasma treatment to enhance the interfacial strength of aramid paper. The water contact angle of the aramid fiber and the tensile strength, tearing strength, and evenness of the aramid sheets were investigated under different conditions, and the parameters of the argon low‐temperature plasma modification, like gas pressure, discharge power, and discharge time, were optimized. The chemical structure and surface morphology of the fiber after plasma modification were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The strengthening mechanism of aramid paper by low‐temperature plasma modification was also studied. It was found that the argon low‐temperature plasma treatment introduced some new polar groups onto the fiber surface and increased the fiber surface wettability and roughness. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45215.     

Chemical grafting of curcumin at polyethylene terephthalate woven fabric surface using a prior surface activation with ultraviolet excimer lamp

Durable curcumin‐treated antibacterial polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics (against Staphylococcus aureus) were produced by dyeing with curcumin after surface activation using vacuum ultraviolet excimer lamp at 172 nm. Surface change properties of the exposed fabrics were characterized by surface analysis methods such as wettability, atomic force microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results show an increase in surface hydrophilicity with a water contact angle of the PET fabric reaching 24° after 10 min excimer irradiation, which could be attributed to an increase in carboxyl group formation as confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Varying concentrations of curcumin were immobilized onto untreated and vacuum ultraviolet‐irradiated PET samples using diffusion method at 90°C, and the treated fabrics characterized using K/S (color strength) values at 440 nm. K/S values increased when the PET surface was subjected to a prior excimer irradiation, because of grafting of curcumin at the PET surface. Increased excimer irradiation time increased grafting of curcumin because the inner fabric fiber surfaces were also more thoroughly treated. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Statically non-wetting electrospun perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB) aryl ether polymer doped with room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL)

A statically non-wetting, electrospun surface of non volatile room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, (BMIM-PF₆), hosted in a solution-processable, semi-fluorinated perfluorocyclobutyl (BP-PFCB) aryl ether polymer was successfully prepared by electrospinning and compared with a surface prepared by spin casting. The surface properties of undoped and BMIM-PF₆ doped systems were analyzed by water contact angle (WCA) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). BMIM-PF₆ doped BP-PFCB surfaces prepared by spin casting showed a WCA of 90° while non-woven electrospun surfaces with the same BMIM-PF₆ concentration showed high degree of hydrophobicity with a WCA greater than 150°. Morphologies of the electrospun surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The surface composition was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) and attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR). Thermal analysis of the electrospun, non-woven surfaces of the doped and the undoped system of BP-PFCB were done by TGA.     

Dynamic wetting of plasma‐treated polypropylene nonwovens

Various techniques have been employed to improve the wettability of polypropylene materials for a wide range of applications. In this study, polypropylene nonwovens were treated in oxygen plasma for improving water adsorption properties. The effects of plasma treatment on wetting and water adsorption behavior were characterized using dynamic contact angle measurements and dynamic sorption measurements. The introduction of hydrophilic groups was detected by attenuated total reflection–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The plasma treatment roughened the fiber surface revealed by atomic force microscopy. The roughened and hydrophilic surface resulted in the change in advancing and receding contact angles. The dynamic sorption measurements also examined the water adsorption behavior of the materials. The investigation revealed that plasma treatment could significantly improve the water adsorption properties of polypropylene nonwovens. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2157–2160, 2007     

Properties of carbon fiber sized with poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) resin

We studied thermoplastic poly(phthalazinone ether ketone) (PPEK) resin as a sizing agent on carbon fiber, with emphasis on its thermal stability, surface energy, wetting performance, and interfacial shear strength (IFSS). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization was carried out to study the chemical structure of sized/unsized carbon fibers. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were used to characterize surface topography. TGA was used to analyze the thermal stability. Meanwhile, contact angle measurement was applied to analyze the compatibility between the carbon fibers and PPEK and the surface energy of carbon fibers. IFSS of carbon fiber/PPEK composite was examined by microbond testing. It is found that carbon fibers uniformly coated with PPEK resin had better thermal stability and compatibility with PPEK resin than the uncoated fiber. The contact angle is 57.01° for sized fibers, corresponding to a surface energy of 49.96 mJ m^?2, much smaller than that for unsized ones with contact angle value of 97.05°. The value of IFSS for sized fibers is 51.49 MPa, which is higher than the unsized fibers. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Surface nanaostructure evolution of functionalized polypropylene fibers

It is well‐known that fiber surface characteristics affect friction, wetting, conductivity, and other performance properties. This paper reports the evolution of the surface nanostructures of meltblown polypropylene (PP) fibers during the process of plasma treatment followed by copper (Cu) sputter coating. The effects of plasma treatment and Cu sputter coating on the surface morphology, chemistry, and properties of the fibers were characterized using scanning probe microscope (SPM), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and electrical analysis. The atomic force mode (AFM) and lateral force mode (LFM) in the SPM were used to scan the fiber surface. AFM observations revealed the evolution of the surface morphology formed by surface treatment. The LFM images also indicated the change in surface nanomechanical behavior. A full energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDX) mounted on the ESEM was used to examine the change in the chemical compositions of the functional surfaces. The electrical properties of the functionalized materials were analyzed using electrical resistance test. The Cu sputter coating significantly altered the surface conductivity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Dyeing of woven polyester fabric with curcumin: effect of dye concentrations and surface pre‐activation using air atmospheric plasma and ultraviolet excimer treatment

Dyeing of polyester fabric with curcumin was studied at 90 and 130 °C without and with a prior surface activation of polyester fabric using two different ecotechnologies: air atmospheric plasma treatment and ultraviolet excimer lamp at 172 nm. Without surface activation, dyeing with curcumin followed classical disperse dye behaviour, with higher dye uptake at 130 °C than at 90 °C, and saturation was readily reached at 2% dye owf at 130 °C with a colour yield of 22. Surface‐sorbed curcumin molecules extracted with ethanol seemed to increase the colour yield values at 90 °C dyeing, while at 130 °C they decreased the colour yield values. When dyeing was carried out after a prior surface activation of the polyester fabrics, increased colour yield was observed at both dyeing temperatures for the ultraviolet excimer lamp only (with colour yield increasing from 2 to 10 at 90 °C and from 22 to 28 at 130 °C for a 2% dye owf). Indeed, both surface activation methods yielded hydrophilic species at the polyester fabric fibre surface, which were confirmed by water contact angle, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and atomic force microscopy. However, the surface of the polyester fabric activated using plasma lost all of its hydrophilic species, reaching the water contact angle of untreated polyester when subjected to the dyeing conditions. The excimer treatment yields hydrophilic species that are more resistant to high temperature and pressure dyeing.     

氟代聚丙烯酸酯无皂乳液整理剂的防水防油性能研究

本文采用无皂乳液聚合法,以全氟烷基酯（FEA）为功能单体,制备了一种氟代聚丙烯酸酯无皂乳液整理剂,并对其乳液颗粒粒径大小及分布和高分子溶液表面活性进行了研究。通过对棉织物进行防水防油整理应用实验,详细考察了该织物整理剂的使用质量百分数和烘焙温度对防水防油性能的影响,并测试了其他应用性能。结果表明,通过该防水防油剂处理的织物有优异的防水防油性能,处理后的织物表面动态防水性可达90分,防油性可达5级,对水的接触角可达142.5°,对石蜡油的接触角可达126?,并且有良好的耐水洗性和常规应用性能。     

Improving the hydrophobic,water barrier and crystallization properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by incorporating monodisperse SiO2 particles

This paper details an improvement in the properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with respect to its use in petroleum engineering by incorporating uniform (monodisperse; 35 to 380 nm) silica (SiO₂) particles and polystyrene? SiO₂ core–shell particles by melt mixing. The resulting high‐performance nanocomposite (SNPET) films are presented. The results of contact angle and water absorption tests showed that the contact angle of the amorphous SNPET films increased from 72° to 118.5° as the core–shell particle load increased from 0 to 6.0 wt%. The contact angle reached 128.0° when the films were annealed. Decreasing the SiO₂ particle size demonstrably improved the SNPET film hydrophobicity and lowered the water diffusion coefficient, i.e. SiO₂ particles of 35 nm in size gave the greatest enhancement of water barrier properties. Results of transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and optical measurements showed the homogeneous particle dispersion and nanostructure in the SNPET films. Their transparency and haziness increased as the particle size decreased. Use of such core–shell structures meant that the uniform (monodisperse) SiO₂ particles could be dispersed homogeneously in PET, and effectively improved the surface, thermal and crystallization behavior of SNPET films to produce materials with high barrier stability against water. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Surface modification of armos fibers with oxygen plasma treatment for improving interfacial adhesion with poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) resin

We introduce in this article oxygen plasma treatment as a convenient and effective method for the surface modification of Armos fibers. The effects of oxygen‐plasma‐treatment power on both the Armos fiber surface properties and Armos‐fiber‐reinforced poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) composite interfacial adhesion were investigated. The Armos fiber surface chemical composition, surface morphology and roughness, and surface wettability as a function of oxygen‐plasma‐treatment power were measured by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and dynamic contact angle analysis. The results show that oxygen plasma treatment introduced a lot of reactive functional groups onto the fiber surface, changed the surface morphology, increased the surface roughness, and enhanced the surface wettability. Additionally, the effect of the oxygen‐plasma‐treatment power on the composite interfacial adhesion was measured by interlaminar shear strength with a short‐beam bending test. Oxygen plasma treatment was an effective method for improving the composite interfacial properties by both chemical bonding and physical effects. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Influence of oxygen plasma treatment on interfacial properties of poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) fiber‐reinforced poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) composite

The influence of oxygen plasma treatment on both surface properties of poly(p‐phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers and interfacial properties of PBO fiber reinforced poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK) composite were investigated. Surface chemical composition, surface roughness, and surface morphologies of PBO fibers were analyzed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Surface free energy of the fibers was characterized by dynamic contact angle analysis (DCAA). The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and water absorption of PBO fiber‐reinforced PPESK composite were measured. Fracture mechanisms of the composite were examined by SEM. The results indicated that oxygen plasma treatment significantly improved the interfacial adhesion of PBO fiber‐reinforced PPESK composite by introducing some polar or oxygen‐containing groups to PBO fiber surfaces and by fiber surface roughening. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

介质阻挡放电等离子体处理芳纶的表面性能研究

采用介质阻挡放电(DBD)装置对芳纶1414表面进行改性处理,探讨低温等离子体处理对纤维表面性能的影响。结果表明:经过DBD等离子体处理后,芳纶1414纤维表面粗糙程度加剧,粘结性能和浸润性能有了明显的改善;当DBD等离子体处理功率为200～300 W,时间为60 s,氩气流量为2～3 L/min时,芳纶1414的界面剪切强度从处理前的11.9 MPa上升到14.2 MPa,接触角由处理前的85.0°下降到了60.6°。     

Effect of PEGylated chitosan on plasma etched PET fabrics surface properties

In this work, PEGylated chitosan derivatives were prepared and used to modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fabrics. PET fabrics surface were etched by oxygen plasma before different concentrations PEGylated chitosan derivatives solution treatment. The effects of oxygen plasma and PEGylated chitosan derivatives on the surface properties of PET fabrics are investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Surface wettability was monitored by water contact angle measurement and moisture regains. The results showed that the occurrence of oxygen‐containing functional groups (i.e., C?O, C? O, and ? OH) of the plasma‐treated PET and the surface coarseness increased from those of the untreated one. There was a layer film formed on the surface of PET fabrics after PEGylated chitosan modification. The combination treatment of oxygen plasma with PEGylated chitosans lightly lowered the breaking strength and elongation of PET fabric. That moisture regains increased and the contact angle decreased implied the hydrophilicity enhancement for the PET fabrics. In addition, dyeing property of PEGylated chitosan derivative modified PET was improved. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 39693.     

Residual reactivity for surface grafting of acrylic acid on argon glow-discharged poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films

The wettability of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films in water was significantly improved upon exposure to argon glow discharge. Depending upon the lengths of glow-discharge exposure, the water contact angle (CA) of the untreated film (73.1° ± 0.1°) was reduced to between 33.7° and 41.0° on the argon glow-discharged films. Wettability decay was observed during the initial few days. Depending upon the treatment time, the water CA stabilized 4–7 days after the treatment and the extent of the wettability decay ranged from 4.3° to 7.6°. The residual reactivity of the glow-discharged surfaces was captured by exposing the glow-discharged PET to acrylic acid in the liquid and vapor phases. Optimal water CAs of 54.0° and 41.9° were achieved in the liquid-phase and the vapor-phase exposures, respectively. Wettability decay of these acrylic acid-grafted PET surfaces was very small (0°–1.9°) for the liquid-phase reactions and negligible (0.3°–0.6°) for the vapor-phase reactions. The near absence of wettability decay or the greater stability of the grafted surfaces suggested the almost complete dissipation of the residual reactivity through reactions with acrylic acid. Surface morphology of the untreated as well as the acrylic acid-grafted PET surfaces were examined and detailed by scanning electron microscopy.     

Effects of surface modification by Ar+ irradiation on wettability of surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) films

Surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate); PET, films were irradiated with Ar⁺ at 1 keV using various ion doses (ID) from 10¹⁴ to 10¹⁷ ions/cm² (isc) with and without an O₂ environment. The wettability of the modified surfaces of PET was determined by measuring the contact angle between water droplets and the modified surfaces. The modified surfaces were also characterized by AFM (atomic force microscopy) and XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) for changes in the surface morphology, and the chemical composition and molecular structure, respectively. The contact angle decreased from 70° for unmodified surfaces to 45° for modified surface with ID = 10¹⁴ isc without O₂ and remained relatively constant with higher ID. The contact angle, however, reached a minimum value of 8° for modified surfaces with ID = 10¹⁶ isc with O₂. The improved wettability may be due to a combination of the formation of hydrophilic groups, chemical and molecular structural changes, physical structural or morphological changes, and increased roughness of the surface. The wettability of the modified surfaces also depended on the time of exposure to air. The wettability worsened with exposure time to air, but was revived by immersing the films into water. Possible mechanisms for the change of the wettability of the modified surfaces are given.     

Surface modification of ultra high modulus polyethylene fibers by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

To improve their adhesion properties, ultra high modulus polyethylene (UHMPE) fibers were treated by an atmospheric pressure helium plasma jet (APPJ), which was operated at radio frequency (13.56 MHz). The surface properties of the fibers were investigated by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurement. The surface dyeability improvement after plasma treatments was investigated using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The adhesion strengths of the fibers with epoxy were evaluated by microbond tests. In addition, the influence of operational parameters of the plasma treatment including power input and treatment temperature was studied. XPS analysis showed a significant increase in the surface oxygen content. LSCM results showed that the plasma treatments greatly increased fluorescence dye concentrations on the surface and higher diffusion rate to the fiber center. The tensile strength of UHMPE fiber either remained unchanged or decreased by 10–13.6% after plasma treatment. The contact angle exhibited a characteristic increase in wettability, due to the polar groups introduced by plasma treatment. The microbond test showed that the interfacial shear strengths (IFSS) increase significantly (57–139%) after plasma treatment for all groups and the optimum activation is obtained at 100°C and 5 W power input. SEM analysis showed roughened surfaces after the plasma treatments. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Preparation and characterization of grafting polyacrylamide from PET films by SI‐ATRP via water‐borne system

The grafted homopolymer and comb‐shaped copolymer of polyacrylamide were prepared by combining the self‐assembly of initiator and water‐borne surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI‐ATRP). The structures, composition, properties, and surface morphology of the modified PET films were characterized by FTIR/ATR, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle measurement, and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). The results show that the surface of PET films was covered by equable grafting polymer layer after grafted polyacrylamide (PAM). The amount of grafting polymer increased linearly with the polymerization time added. The GPC date show that the polymerization in the water‐borne medium at lower temperature (50°C) shows better “living” and control. After modified by comb‐shaped copolymer brushes, the modified PET film was completely covered with the second polymer layer (PAM) and water contact angle decreased to 13.6°. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012