Plasma-treated Fabrics Research Articles

Study of physico-chemical and antibacterial properties of DBD plasma treated ahimsa silk coated with natural active agent

This study investigated the effect of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of ahimsa silk fabric. The fabric was pre-treated for 1–5 min with DBD plasma in ambient air. The leaf extracts of Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) and Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) were applied to the fabric to impart an antibacterial finish. Wettability, SEM, AFM, and tensile strength analyses demonstrated increased hydrophilicity and surface roughness with a slight reduction in mechanical strength. Both ATR-FTIR and XPS indicated an increase in the concentration of polar functional groups, such as -OH, -NH, -CHO, and -COOH, on the surface of the plasma-treated fabric. Antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) was evaluated using the agar plate method and modified Hohenstein test. The results verified the efficacy of plasma-treated fabric, with an approximately 93% reduction in E. coli and a 96% reduction in S. aureus growth that persisted even after three washing cycles. This study suggests that DBD plasma at atmospheric pressure can be used as an eco-friendly technology for modifying the surface of silk fabrics to promote better adherence of plant extracts to the fabric and subsequently enhance their microbial resistance.

Effects of Surface Hydrophobicity of Lab Coat Fabrics on Nanoparticle Attachment and Resuspension: Implications for Fabrics Used for Making Protective Clothing or Work Uniform

Although nanoparticles have been incorporated in a range of applications, human exposure through surface contamination remains a concern and is under investigation. This is especially true in the context of industrial and research labs, where workers may become contaminated with nanoparticles. Development of appropriate personal protective equipment requires a deeper understanding of how nanoparticles interact with fabrics. The contamination and resuspension behavior of Al2O3, carbon black (CB), and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with four common lab coat materials (100% cotton, 80/20 polyester/cotton blend, 100% polypropylene, and Tyvek) is presented in this study. To understand the effects of fabric weave pattern and surface chemistry on nanomaterial–fabric interactions, fabrics were treated with C3F8 or H2O(v) plasma to alter surface wettability while maintaining bulk morphology. Changes in surface chemistry and wettability were measured using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and water contact angle goniometry on untreated and plasma-treated materials. Contamination and release of nanomaterials were quantified by monitoring the change in mass after contamination and shaking of the fabrics and using scanning electron microscopy image analysis. Overall, the lowest contamination levels arose from exposure to CNTs. Plasma treatment results in differential contamination, with the H2O(v) plasma-treated fabrics demonstrating the lowest CB contamination, whereas the lowest Al2O3 contamination and resuspension occurs with the C3F8-plasma treated cotton. A complex mechanism for nanoparticle interaction with fabrics involving surface chemistry, morphology, and intermolecular forces is discussed. Notably, different surface treatments resulting in materials repellent to airborne particles could be used in treating fabrics used for making protective clothing or work uniforms to minimize the contamination and spread of unwanted particles.

Influence of plasma treatment on moisture management of bamboo charcoal composite fabrics for hospital application

To enhance the moisture transmission properties of hospital bed linen, a tri-layer weft knitted fabric has been developed from the fibres, like lyocell, bamboo charcoal and micro polyester, and tested for comfort properties. The tri-layer fabric exhibits good water vapour permeability, water absorbing tendency, wicking tendency and faster drying rate. To enhance these functional properties, the fabric is subjected to plasma treatment. Optimization of plasma treatment parameters is attempted by using Box-Benkhen experimental design, considering the process parameters, such as time, distance between electrodes and current. The plasma-treated and untreated fabrics are tested for moisture management properties, such as water absorbency, water vapor permeability, wickability – transverse and vertical, drying time and SEM analysis. From the test results, it is observed that the plasma-treated fabric has improved moisture management and drying properties

Investigation and Optimization of Vacuum Plasma Treatment of PA66 Fabric for Reduced Fire Retardant Consumption.

Flame retardant (FR) textiles were obtained by surface treatments of polyamide 66 fabrics with microwave (MW) plasma technology in order to reduce the amount of FR involved in the fabric finishing process. More specifically, MW vacuum plasma was employed for polymer surface activation by using a helium/oxygen (He/O2) gas mixture, evaluating the effect of different treatment parameters on the affinity toward thiourea impregnation. Surface fabric modification was investigated both in terms of uniformity and increased thiourea absorption by infrared spectroscopy, wicking properties, and gravimetric characterization to define an operative window for plasma treatment conditions. According to the results obtained, the dry add-on content of thiourea improved up to 38%, thanks to the increase of the fabric surface activation. The effectiveness of plasma treatment resulted in an absolute increase up to 2% in limiting oxygen index (LOI) performance with respect to untreated fabric. As a consequence, a drastic reduction of 50% in thiourea concentration was required to achieve a similar fire retardant performance for plasma-treated fabric. On the basis of these preliminary results, a design of experiment (DoE) methodology was applied to the selected parameters to build a suitable response surface, experimentally validated, and to identify optimized treatment conditions. At the end, a final LOI index up to 43% has been reached.

Rendering viscose fabric dye-able with anionic dyes using plasma treatment technique and chitosan nanoparticles as an eco-friendly approach

PurposeThis paper aims at studying the oxygen plasma treatment and the previously prepared and fully characterized chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) as a green and eco-friendly strategy for surface modification of viscose fabric. This was done to render viscose fabric dye able with two types of acid dyes that do not have direct affinity to fix on it via improving the fabric wettability.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the goal, viscose fabric was activated with oxygen plasma at optimum conditions and coated with different concentrations of CNPs solution via conventional pad dry cure technique. The untreated and plasma-treated fabrics with CNPs were dyed with two types of acid dyes, namely, Acid Orange 7 and Methyl Red under determined conditions. The color strength (K/S), fastness properties to light, rubbing and perspiration, add on %, tensile strength, wettability and durability of the dyed samples were determined and compared.FindingsThe results divulged that oxygen plasma-treated fabric with CNPs and the aforementioned dyes in question could improve the flowing properties in comparison with untreated fabric: (a) the fabric wettability expressed as wetting area mm2; (b) the dye ability and fastness properties of viscose fabrics expressed as K/S and fastness properties; and (c) the strength properties and add on % of the treated fabric. On the other hand, the durability of the plasma-treated fabric decreased with increasing washing cycles.Originality/valueThe novelty addressed here was using plasma treatment as an eco-friendly pre-treatment approach for attachment of CNPs as a multifunctional green bio-nano polymer onto viscose fabric, which improved the dyeing properties of the fabric with acid dyes that do not have direct affinity to fix onto it.

THE EFFECT OF PLASMA TREATMENT ON THE PRINTABILITY OF POLYESTER FABRIC USING COCHINEAL NATURAL DYE

Use of synthetic dyes for dyeing of textile fabrics is most problematic environmental concerned for textile industry. The demand of natural colourants for the dyeing of textile fabrics has been increasing. Thus, sustainable novel technologies for textile dyeing are needed that utilize improved colour strength and enhanced performance characteristics of the fabric. This study attempts to highlight the possibility of using cochineal natural dye in the printing of polyester fabrics after surface modification by O2/Ar plasma treatment. The colour strength, air permeability, crease recovery angle of printed fabrics, colour fastness to rubbing, washing and light, were also studied. The surfaces of untreated and plasma-treated polyester fabrics were analysed by SEM to compare the morphological changes. Surface roughness and cracks were indicated after the plasma pretreatment. The results indicated that plasma treatment could improve the printability of polyester fabric compared with untreated samples, with enhanced the adhesion and penetration of printing paste to the surface. The air permeability of printed fabrics has decreased, while the angle of crease recovery has increased. The fastness properties of printed samples were found suitable to very good.

Surface Modification by the DBD Plasma to Improve the Flame-Retardant Treatment for Dyed Polyester Fabric.

In the first part of the study, dyed polyester fabric was treated with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at 1 W/cm2 for 15, 30, 60 and 90 s. The wicking height, tensile strength and color of the control and plasma treated fabrics were measured. Results show that the fabric capillary increases with plasma treatment time up to 90 s. However, plasma treatment time longer than 60 s caused an obvious color change and decrease in tensile strength of fabric. Plasma contact time should be such that plasma can improve the hydrophilicity of the fabric and adversely affect the properties of the fabric as little as possible. Thus, the suitable plasma contact time should be less than 60 s. Based on these results, in the second part of the study, three different time levels (15, 20 and 30 s) were selected for plasma pretreatment of this fabric. The plasma-treated fabric was then padded with the flame retardant (FR) (CETAFLAM PDP 30), dried and finally cured at 190 °C for 120 s. The limited oxygen index (LOI) of FR fabrics and the vertical fire characteristics of FR fabric after being washed 5 times also were measured. Comparison of these results with those of FR fabrics without plasma pretreatment shows that plasma pretreatment improves the fabric’s flame retardancy and FR durability. Moreover, it also reduces the heat shrinkage of PET fabric due to high temperature curing. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the fabric after plasma treatment and FR treatment and the energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) spectrum of the fabric are consistent with the above results.

Surface modification and improvements of wicking properties and dyeability of grey jute-cotton blended fabrics using low-pressure glow discharge air plasma

Herein, we reported the improvements of wicking properties and dyeability of the jute-cotton blended (40:60) fabrics due to the effect of low-pressure glow discharge (LPGD) air plasma under selected exposure times. The microscopic features, functional groups, wettability, contact angles, wetting area, wicking rates, and reflectance values of the jute-cotton blended fabrics were analyzed using numerous experimental techniques. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques were used to investigate the morphological and compositional modifications of plasma-treated jute blended cotton fabrics. The compositional analysis confirmed various functional groups such as –OH, C–O, and COO− on the surface of jute blended cotton fabrics. The average pore radii and diffusion coefficient were calculated by using the modified Lucas-Washburn equation. The plasma-treated fabrics were shown to have an average pore radius of 0.93, 1.46, 2.26, and 4.8 μm under treatment time of 5,10,15, and 20 min. Nearly 50% reduction of contact angle was observed after a plasma treatment time of 20 min. The absorption to scattered ratio, K/S (determined using Kubel-Munk model) of the colored fabrics with 5 min pre-treated plasma was 6.47, although it was raised up to 8.51 after 20 min of pre-treatment. A reactive dye, Bezaktiv Red S–3B, was used for the dyeability test, and our findings showed that the dyeability and the wettability of the fabric were substantially enhanced with the treatment time of LPGD air plasma. Among the samples, only 10 min plasma pre-treated colored fabric exhibited a color difference of less than one compared to the standard one.

Effect of plasma treatment on crease recovery finish of linen with carboxylic acid

The effect of helium plasma treatment has been investigated on crease recovery finish of linen fabric using carboxylic acid as crosslinker. After the plasma treatment, 5% increase in wet pickup is observed compared to the control fabric. This plasma treated sample is crosslinked with butyl tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA). The significant increase in crease recovery angle is found as compared to the untreated crosslinked fabric. However, significant reduction in tearing is also observed in both the cases. Tearing strength could be improved to acceptable range by adding silicone softener during cross-linking process. The untreated and plasma-treated fabrics are analyzed by scanning electron microscope and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy to investigate the changes in surface morphology and surface functional groups.

Plasma-induced grafting of polyaniline on polyester fabric for gas sensing application

In this work, we have grafted Polyaniline (PANI) on polyester fabric by Chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline monomer using Ammonium per sulphate (APS) as oxidant and Sodium salt of dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as a co-dopant. For better deposition and adhesion of PANI on the surface of polyester fabric, low-pressure radio frequency (RF) oxygen (O2) plasma treatment is applied to the fabric prior to grafting of PANI. Characterization of conducting fabrics is done using ATR-FTIR Spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Contact angle measurement, X-ray Photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Sheet resistance measurement. It is observed that O2 plasma treatment enhances uniformity of grafting, conductivity and gives strong interfacial bonding of PANI on the surface of polyester fabric. O2 plasma-treated fabrics followed by grafting with PANI was then investigated for detection of ammonia gas.

Investigation of Antimicrobial Activity of DBD Air Plasma-Treated Banana Fabric Coated with Natural Leaf Extracts.

This paper focuses on the investigation of the antimicrobial activity of banana fabric treated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. The fabric was exposed to air plasma for varying treatment times of 1–5 min followed by coating with green tea (Camellia sinensis) and tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf extracts at five different concentrations. The treated fabric was evaluated in terms of surface wettability by a range of tests like wet-out time analysis, hydrophilicity test, and contact angle measurements. The functional groups formed on the treated fabric were analyzed by attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The surface morphology was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the surface chemistry was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The FTIR and XPS analysis results indicate that the plasma-treated fabric was found to have a higher concentration of polar groups (−COOH, −OH, −C=O) that has improved surface hydrophilicity and functionality. The antimicrobial activity of the treated fabric surface was determined both qualitatively and quantitatively by the agar plate method and modified Hoenstein test, against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. An improvement in the antimicrobial property was observed in plasma-treated banana fabric coated with natural extracts even after four washing cycles. This study suggests that air DBD plasma treatment followed by the absorption of tea/tulsi leaf extracts can serve as a better tool for developing natural antimicrobial textiles, which could serve the purpose in medical and healthcare sectors concerning recent times. It has eventually led to better absorption of plant extracts, thereby increasing their antimicrobial activity.

Effect of Modified Yarn Path Ring Spinning on Thermal Comfort Properties of Cotton Fabrics after Plasma Treatment

ABSTRACT The influence of air, oxygen and argon plasma treatment on the thermal comfort behavior of cotton woven fabric which is spun from modified yarn path in ring spinning has been investigated in this study. The cotton fabric samples were undergone different plasma treatment namely air, argon and oxygen. The fabric air permeability has tend to be decreased with the plasma treatment and the oxygen plasma-treated fabric has least air permeability. The untreated fabric shows higher air permeability followed by left diagonal yarn path, straight path and right diagonal yarn path. It was also observed thermal resistance and water vapor permeability of the fabric has increased with the plasma treatment and the oxygen plasma-treated fabric has higher thermal resistance and water vapor permeability. The untreated fabric shows lower thermal resistance and water vapor permeability followed by left diagonal yarn path, straight path and right diagonal yarn path.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment for Grey Cotton Knitted Fabric.

100% grey cotton knitted fabric contains impurities and yellowness and needs to be prepared for processing to make it suitable for coloration and finishing. Therefore, conventionally 100% grey cotton knitted fabric undergoes a process of scouring and bleaching, which involves the use of large amounts of water and chemicals, in order to remove impurities and yellowness. Due to increased environmental awareness, pursuing a reduction of water and chemicals is a current trend in textile processing. In this study, we explore the possibility of using atmospheric pressure plasma as a dry process to treat 100% grey cotton knitted fabric (single jersey and interlock) before processing. Experimental results reveal that atmospheric pressure plasma treatment can effectively remove impurities from 100% grey cotton knitted fabrics and significantly improve its water absorption property. On the other hand, if 100% grey cotton knitted fabrics are pretreated with plasma and then undergo a normal scouring process, the treatment time is reduced. In addition, the surface morphological and chemical changes in plasma-treated fabrics were studied and compared with the conventionally treated fabrics using scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy-attenuated total reflection (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The decrease in carbon content, as shown in XPS, reveal the removal of surface impurities. The oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) ratios of the plasma treated knitted fabrics reveal enhanced hydrophilicity.

Optimization and surface modification of silk fabric using DBD air plasma for improving wicking properties

It is necessary to study the suitable effect of plasma parameters, such as exposure time and applied voltage on the wicking properties of silk fabrics. Wicking property of silk fabric has been improved by using air dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment. The plasma treatment has been utilized to modify the surface properties of silk fabrics. Untreated and plasma-treated fabrics have been characterized by contact angle Goniometer, wicking test, Wet-out time, scanning electron microscope, Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transforms Infrared spectrometer (ATR-FTIR) and dye uptake test. The ATR-FTIR characterization shows that the hydroxyl functional group has been increased after plasma treatment of silk fabric. The experimental results of wicking rate and Wet-out time of the plasma-treated silk fabrics have shown significant improvement in hydrophilic properties that could be confirmed by contact angle measurement which is close to 0°. The tensile strength of untreated and plasma-treated fabrics has been measured to confirm the enhanced surface property.

Effect of Low Temperature Plasma Treatment on the Dyeability of Regenerated Bamboo/Cotton Blended Fabrics

In this research, regenerated bamboo (viscose)/cotton blended fabrics were treated with low temperature plasma under various treatment conditions (i.e., oxygen flow rate, jet-to-substrate distance, and plasma treatment time) to evaluate how these parameters influenced fabric dyeing properties. It was shown that low temperature plasma treatment can modify polymer surfaces and change the substrate's properties, such as wettability. In this study, plasma-treated fabrics were dyed with mono-functional and bi-functional reactive dyes to check for changes in CIELAB, Δ E*, and color yield values. The study concluded that color yield of the plasma-treated fabric was better when dyed to a color depth of 3%.

The effect of plasma treatment and tightness factor on the low-stress mechanical properties of single jersey knitted wool fabrics

The effects of atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and the tightness factor on the low-stress mechanical properties of weft-knitted wool fabrics were evaluated using the Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabric (KES-F). The statistical analysis showed that the plasma treatment and the tightness factor had significant effects on the fabric low-stress mechanical properties ( p-value < 0.05). Plasma-treated fabrics showed significantly higher bending and shear rigidity and hysteresis, compression energy, thickness, compressibility, surface friction and lower compression resilience and geometrical roughness values compared with untreated fabrics. An increase in the fabric tightness factor significantly increased fabric thickness, bending and shear rigidity and hysteresis, and decreased tensile extensibility and geometrical roughness. The relationship between primary handle attributes evaluated by Wool HandleMeter and KES-F mechanical properties was also investigated. The results confirmed a highly linear correlation between these two sets of data, where rough/smooth and hard/soft attributes evaluated by the Wool HandleMeter had the highest correlation with bending rigidity, shear properties and bending hysteresis, as measured by the KES-F.

Surface modification of cotton fabrics by gas plasmas for color strength and adhesion by inkjet ink printing

Surface properties of cotton fabric were modified by three types of gas plasma pretreatment, namely, oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), to improve ink absorption of water-based pigmented inkjet inks and color reproduction of the treated surfaces. Effects of gas plasma exposure parameters of power, exposure time and gas pressure on surface physical and chemical properties of the treated fabrics were investigated. XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) was used to identify changes in functional groups on the fabric surface while AFM (atomic force microscopy) and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) were used to reveal surface topography of the fabric. Color spectroscopic technique was used to investigate changes in color strength caused by different absorptions of the printed fabrics. The O2 plasma treatments produced new functional groups, OCO/CO and OCO while N2 plasma treatments produced additionally new functional groups, CN and OCNH, onto the fabric surface which increased hydrophilic properties and surface energy of the fabric. For cotton fabric treated with SF6 plasma, the fluorine functionalization was additionally found on the surface. Color strength values (K/S) increased when compared with those of the untreated fabrics. SF6 plasma-treated fabrics were hydrophobic and caused less ink absorption. Fabric surface roughness caused by plasma etching increased fabric surface areas, captured more ink, and enhanced a larger ink color gamut and ink adhesion. Cotton fabrics exhibited higher ink adhesion and wider color gamut after the O2 plasma treatment comparing with those after N2 plasma treatment.

Matrix formulation and interfacial enhancement of an aeronautical carbon fabric/epoxy composites fabricated via resin transfer molding (RTM) technique

Flexural strength and interlaminar shear strength of fiber-reinforced composites are among the most concerned properties in the aeronautical sector, which are ameliorated in combination through matrix formulation and interfacial enhancement in this study. A thermosetting matrix resin consisting of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and diglycidyl ester of aliphatic cyclo was formulated to cater to the requirements of carbon fabric/epoxy composites fabricated by resin transfer molding (RTM) technique. The toughness and thermal stability of the formulated epoxy resin were studied in consideration of the compromise among processability, thermal and mechanical properties for potential aeronautical applications. The processability of the matrix resin suitable for RTM technique was evaluated with respect to temperature-dependent and time-dependent viscosity. A regime for the curing and post-curing cycles was established according to the differential scanning calorimeter data. Air plasma is introduced herein as a technique to enhance the interfacial adhesion of carbon fabric/epoxy composites. Composites based on the epoxy system and plasma-treated carbon fabric were fabricated using the RTM technique. The reactive groups introduced by plasma treatment are responsible for the significant improvements of mechanical properties of the resulting composites. The microscopy pictures of the fracture surfaces confirm that the failure mode of carbon fabric/epoxy composites has changed initially from primarily adhesive failure to cohesive failure.

Enhancing the accessibility of starch size and cellulose to enzymes in raw cotton woven fabric by air-plasma pretreatment

In this paper, raw cotton fabric was pretreated with non-thermal atmospheric air-plasma and the accessibility of the surface polymers of the fibers and yarns that act as respective substrates for the enzymes was evaluated. Results proved that plasma slightly destroyed and oxidized the starch size on the surface of warp yarns and partially removed the thin and perfectly hydrophobic waxy coverage of the fibers in weft yarns, creating deep “pits” with a depth of 215 nm. This latter process contributed to the exposure of cellulose and pectin located under the waxy outer layer of the elementary fibers in the weft yarns, and significantly increased the surface roughness of the fibers (from Rq of 25 to 67 nm for the raw and 180 s plasma-treated samples, respectively). Amount of the reducing sugars released during the amylase and cellulase digestion of the plasma-treated fabrics confirmed that air-plasma significantly increased the accessibility of the starch and cellulose, respectively, to the enzymes and resulted in an enhanced solubilization of both polymers. Since the plasma-treated substrates displayed significantly faster enzyme reactions, the time of enzymatic treatments can be sharply reduced.

Reuse of effluent from dyeing process of polyamide fibers modified by double barrier discharge (DBD) plasma

Low-temperature plasma technology becomes more and more attractive compared with traditional wet processes in textile preparation and finishing due to its high efficiency and low environmental impact. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of dielectric barrier discharge plasma treatment on the trichromic dyeing process of polyamide 6.6 (PA66) and the reuse of the generated effluents for new dyeing processes. Chemical and physical characterization of the plasma-treated polyamide fibers was studied by means of static and dynamic contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy micrographs, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Plasma treatment greatly increases the hydrophilicity and adhesion of PA66, due to the increase of polar groups and roughness on the fibers surface as confirmed by XPS and AFM. The kinetics of dyeing is quicker but leveled with high rubbing, light, and washing fastness quality. The reuse of the effluent obtained after dyeing of the plasma-treated fabrics showed excellent results of reproducibility, uniformity, and washing fastness. It was possible to reproduce the standard color for three dyeing cycles using the same effluent reducing the effluent load with a significant diminution in costs and environmental impact.