Enhancing the Wetting Properties of Polypropylene and Polyethylene Nonwoven Fabrics Using a Cost-Effective Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge

Abstract

An atmospheric pressure surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) was used for surface treatment of Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE) nonwoven fabrics which are widely used in filtration media, oil adsorbents, biomedical textiles, etc. The SDBD reactor has been built using the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) which is an inexpensive material available in the local market. The use of the PCB led to the ease of fabrication of a low-cost discharge electrode system that can be scaled up without difficulty. The effect of the plasma treatment on the hydrophilic behavior of the treated samples was studied using water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The microstructure of the PP and PE nonwoven fabrics before and after plasma treatment was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the plasma treatment converted the fiber surface from smooth to textured surface. This resulted in enhancing the wettability of both materials but with more pronounced effect on the PP.