On-line Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (APP) treatment of polypropylene fabrics

Abstract

Modification of the intrinsically low surface energy of Polypropylene (PP) fabrics is important to achieve improvements in surface properties, such as wettability, and to introduce new kinds of treatments on the market, such as printability and dye uptake. The aim of this work is to show results of characterization of PP fabrics chemically and physically modified by Low Temperature Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (APP). The first technological advantage of a two meters wide APP system is the possibility to treat large area samples directly on-line, thanks to the combination with a roll-to-roll system. The possibility of employing dry processes allows to implement a new technological approach to low-environmental impact surface functionalization, which turns into considerable reduction of energy use and dramatic savings in water consumption. Two different plasma conditions, mixA and mixB, involving respectively O-and N-functionalizing gas mixtures, were performed on PP fabrics. Capillarity tests allow us to macroscopically detect wettability improvements of PP fabrics.