Influence of Plasma Treatment on Size Adhesion Strength to Raw Cotton Yarns

Abstract

This study systematically investigated how helium and oxygen (He/O2) atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) treatment influences the size adhesion strength (SAS) to the cotton yarn. Results show that the SAS increases with the treatment time from 0 to 18 s then decreases until 24s. The SAS has a decreasing trend when the jet to sample distance (JTSD) goes up from 1.5 to 6.0 mm and it increases with the rising of O2 flux from 0.1 to 0.3 L/min then decreases until 0.45 L/min. For samples with different moisture regains (MRs) of 0.5%, 9.3% and 26.3%, the SAS decreases as the MR rises up. SEM and XPS analyses show that APPJ treated samples have roughened surfaces and are introduced polar bonds such as COH, C=O and OC=O. Cotton fibers with lower MRs are more efficiently etched and more polar bonds are imparted by the APPJ treatment.