Surface treatment of large-area epoxy resin by water-perforated metal plate electrodes dielectric barrier discharge: Hydrophobic modification and uniformity improvement

Abstract

Wind power plays a vital role in the field of renewable energy. However, a significant challenge arises when operating wind turbines with epoxy resin blades in temperatures below 0℃, as they tend to ice up, causing unexpected shutdowns. Low-temperature plasma technology emerges as a promising solution that can produce hydrophobic thin films with excellent mechanical properties in an eco-friendly way, but its application is currently limited to small objects. This paper presents a novel design for a large-scale DBD (Dielectric Barrier Discharge) water-perforated metal electrode plasma treatment device that was optimized through simulations to achieve uniform gas discharge at low flow rates. The device successfully deposited a hydrophobic thin film uniformly on the surface of an epoxy resin plate with an average water contact angle of 139.5 ± 2.5°, which is an 87% improvement compared to the untreated surface. In addition, the device reduced the required working gas flow rate by 40–60% compared to existing large-area processing devices, and improved the effectiveness by 16%. Physical and chemical property tests demonstrated that the device’s design increased surface roughness and generated a dense film containing hydrophobic silicon groups (such as Si-O-Si and Si-(CH3)x), contributing to the improvement in hydrophobicity. Overall, the presented device offers an efficient, eco-friendly, and effective method for depositing hydrophobic thin films on large-scale materials, which can enhance wind turbine performance by preventing ice formation on epoxy resin blades.