Hydrophobic modification of polyethylene terephthalate using nanosecond-pulse dielectric barrier discharge

Abstract

Compared to the traditional method for surface treatment, non-thermal plasmas have advantages such as low pollution, simple process and low cost. In the paper, non-thermal plasmas are generated by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) excited by China-made nanosecond-pulse generator with a rise time of ~70 ns and a full width at half maximum of ~100 ns. Such plasmas are used to modify the hydrophobic of the surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in atmospheric carbon tetrafluoride (CF4). The static water contact angle of the PET surface is measured before and after treatment. The effects of CF4 flow, applied voltage, treatment time and CF4 ratio on modification performance are presented. The results show that the hydrophobic of the PET surface can be achieved using DBD plasmas. The static water contact angle of the PET surface can be up to 100 from 66.