Effect of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma and Subsequent Enzymatic Treatment on Flax Fabrics**supported by the Science and Technology Project of the Education Department of Zhejiang Province, China (No. Y201432680) and the Professional Leaders Leading Project of the Education Department of Zhejiang Province, China (No. lj2013131), the Teaching and Research Award Program for Outstanding Young Teachers in Higher Education Institutions of the Education Department of Zhejiang Province, China (No. 1097802072012001)

Abstract

The objective is to investigate the effect of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (APDBD) plasma and subsequent cellulase enzyme treatment on the properties of flax fabrics. The changes of surface morphology and structure, physico-mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, bending properties, whiteness, and dyeing properties of the treated substrate were investigated. The results indicated that atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge plasma pre-treatment and subsequent cellulase enzyme treatment could diminish the hairiness of flax fabrics, endowing the flax fabrics with good bending properties, water uptake and fiber accessibility while keeping their good mechanical properties compared with those treated with cellulase enzyme alone.