Plasma-treated Fabrics Research Articles

The effect of plasma treatment and loop length on the handle of lightweight jersey fabrics as assessed by the Wool HandleMeter

The handle properties of knitted wool fabrics were investigated using the Wool HandleMeter. The fabrics were single jersey knitted with three different loop lengths, where the yarn linear density was kept constant. The effect of a treatment using a continuous plasma treatment device was compared with untreated fabrics. The results confirm that the Wool HandleMeter is capable of differentiating between knitted single jersey fabrics with different surface treatments and loop lengths. With all seven primary handle attributes affected, plasma-treated fabrics were significantly different from untreated fabrics. Plasma treated fabrics were assessed as being rougher, harder, and heavier with a warmer and drier feeling compared with untreated fabrics. Regardless of treatment used, the effect of loop length was significant. It was shown that a shorter loop length is associated with fabrics that feel rougher, heavier and warmer.

Plasma surface functionalization and dyeing kinetics of Pan-Pmma copolymers

Fiber surface modification with air corona plasma has been studied through dyeing kinetics under isothermal conditions at 30°C on an acrylic-fiber fabric with a cationic dye (CI Basic Blue 3) analyzing the absorption, desorption and fixing on the surface of molecules having defined cationic character.The initial dyeing rate in the first 60s indicates an increase of 58.3% in the dyeing rate due to the effect of corona plasma on the acrylic fiber surface. At the end of the dyeing process, the plasma-treated fabrics absorb 24.7% more dye, and the K/S value of the acrylic fabric increases by 8.8%. With selected dyestuff molecules, new techniques can be designed to amplify the knowledge about plasma-treated surface modifications of macromolecules.

Assessment of antibacterial activity of herbal finished surface modified polypropylene nonwoven fabric against bacterial pathogens of wound

AbstractThe field of medical textiles, an antimicrobial textile in particular is interdisciplinary. Antimicrobial textiles are mainly used in medical and healthcare environments to control the proliferation of microorganisms. The present work is aimed to study the antimicrobial activity of the air plasma treated (PT) nonwoven polypropylene fabric coated with herbs, which can be used as wound dressing. Surface modification of the nonwoven polypropylene fabric was performed using air plasma. The air PT fabric was finished with the methanolic extracts of 11 medicinal herbs. Their antibacterial activities were analyzed against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Of these, three herbs namely Ficus bengalensis, Cleome viscosa, and Areca catechu showed good activity against S. aureus and Escherichia coli. The antibacterial activity of the air PT polypropylene fabric coated with 1 : 1 : 1 combination of the abovementioned herbs was also assessed as per AATCC 100 method and it was found to be 99%. The herbal finished fabric was tested against the predominant wound isolates by agar diffusion method. The results showed excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus sp., good antibacterial activity against Bacillus sp., Escherichia sp., Klebsiella sp., Pseudomonas sp., Serratia sp., and Proteus sp. thus proving its potential as wound dressing. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment and breathability of polypropylene nonwoven fabric

Atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is a surface modification technique, which can be used for surface finishing and pretreatment of textiles using a broad range of reactive gases. In this study, atmospheric pressure plasma was created using a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen and was applied to polypropylene spunbond fabric. Physical properties like moisture vapor transport, pore size distribution and tensile strength were evaluated to understand the effect of the plasma treatment on spunbond polypropylene. Chemical composition of the fabric before and after plasma treatment was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The spectra showed that oxygen and nitrogen containing groups were generated on the surface of the plasma-treated fabric. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe the surface morphology of the substrate. It is evident from the capillary flow porometer results, pore size increased after plasma treatment resulting in enhanced moisture vapor transport rate. No significant decrease in breaking load was observed after the plasma treatment.

Structural studies of plasma polymers obtained in pulsed dielectric barrier discharge of TEOS and HMDSO on nylon 66 fabrics

Plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition of two monomers, namely tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) was carried out on nylon 66 fabrics. Pulsed discharge at variable duty cycle was used for analysing the effect of different pulse parameters on the structural properties of plasma polymers. HMDSO plasma yielded more hydrophobic surfaces than TEOS plasma. The surface chemical composition of plasma-treated fabrics was investigated by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. Both duty cycle and treatment time were found to play a substantial role in determining the structural properties of plasma polymers. Organic content, , of HMDSO plasma polymers (pp-HMDSO) showed comparatively better retention of the original monomer groups at shorter treatment durations and at lower duty cycles. TEOS plasma polymers (pp-TEOS) obtained under pulsed discharge exhibited higher carbon content when compared to continuous wave (CW) plasma. The effect of pulsed discharge conditions on the tensile properties was also investigated. A slight but significant increase in the elastic modulus of nylon fabric was observed after treatment with the HMDSO plasma under CW discharge. The durability of plasma polymers to washing demonstrated that HMDSO is superior to TEOS for obtaining hydrophobic surface with good durability in nylon 66 fabrics.

Plasma modification of Kevlar fabrics for ballistic applications

The currently used high-performance fiber materials for soft body armor have very low surface friction and this has become an issue in the effectiveness of ballistic energy absorption. In this study, non-polymerizing reactive plasma gas N2 and chemical vapor (CH3)2Cl2Si were employed to modify Kevlar fabric surface for the application of ballistic impact material. Scanning electron microscopy observations yield information about the surface effect of the fabrics after plasma treatment. The surface morphology of the treated fabrics was studied. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was used to analyze the surface chemical properties of the treated samples. The yarn pulling-out test shows that the resistance to pulling out yarns from fabrics plasma-treated treated with N2 and (CH3)2Cl2Si plasma-treated fabric is increased 18% and 300% respectively, compared with the untreated Kevlar fabric. Finite element simulation results revealed that fabric with a higher surface coefficient of friction performs better in ballistic energy absorption.

Role of Nano-YbF3-Treated Carbon Fabric on Improving Abrasive Wear Performance of Polyetherimide Composites

A method for surface treatment of carbon fabric with nano-particles of rare earth salt (ytterbium fluoride–YbF3) was tried first time in the authors’ laboratory to enhance the fiber–matrix interface, and has been reported here. In this article authors have reported on the performance evaluation of composites developed from the four fabrics treated with various doses viz. 0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt% of YbF3. The abrasive wear performance of these composites was evaluated by abrading the composites against silicon carbide abrasive paper under varying loads. The treated fabric composites exhibited lower coefficient of friction and higher wear resistance as compared with untreated fabric composite. A linear correlation between ILSS (interlaminar shear strength) and wear resistance was observed. Both were the highest for 0.3% dosing of fabric. Since it was also desirable to compare the efficiency of this novel method of treatment of carbon fibers with conventional one, a few results of composites with plasma-treated carbon fabric were compared with the nano-particle-treated fabric composites. It was concluded that the latest method improved the abrasive wear resistance of composites almost two times more than the plasma-treated composites. Fiber–matrix interface was strengthened because of the treatment as observed from SEM studies, ILSS, and matrix pick-up studies. Increased roughness of fiber surface was observed in topographical analysis by SEM. Effect of treatment on fiber was also observed by adhesion test and fiber tow tension test. SEM studies of worn surfaces were performed to understand wear mechanisms.

Surface modification of cotton fabrics using plasma technology

The present paper reports the effect of plasma treatments on the surface properties of textile fibers. In the present investigations mainly air plasma and dichlorodifluoromethane (DCFM) plasmas were used. Measurement of the contact angle, wicking properties, and dyeability of cotton fabrics subjected to various conditions of plasma treatments have been carried out. It was observed that while air plasma produced enhanced water wicking, DCFM plasma resulted in producing a highly water-repellent, hydrophobic surface. The contact angle increased dramatically for the DCFM plasma-treated fabrics up to 140°. It was also observed that plasma treatment has improved the dyeing behavior of cotton fabrics when reactive and natural dyes were used. On the other hand, the dyeability was found to have slightly decreased when direct dye was used.

Influence of Corona Plasma Treatment on Polypropylene and Polyamide 6.6 on the Release of a Model Drug

Low-temperature plasma has been studied for the textile industry as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional finishing treatments but its biomedical applications are limited. The present work is devoted to analyze how plasma treatment modifies the wetting properties of polypropylene and polyamide 6.6 fabrics and its influence on the drug release from these textile materials. Drug release studies from textiles pre-treated by plasma are unexplored and constitute an innovative research that could provide a new way to develop controlled drug delivery systems. Methods of surface analysis for polypropylene and polyamide 6.6, including contact angle measurements, drop test, SEM, as well as drug release studies, using ketoprofen as a model drug, are considered in this research. Results obtained have shown that the increase of the hydrophilic properties of polypropylene and polyamide fabrics with plasma treatment reverts in a higher release of the model drug studied from plasma-treated fabrics.

KES-F Characterization and Hand Evaluation of Oxygen Plasma-Treated Wool Fabrics Dyed at Temperature Below the Boil

In our previous works, we investigated the possibility of reducing the dyeing temperature of wool fabrics with oxygen low-temperature plasma pre-treatment. Fabrics were dyed replicating an industrial process on a laboratory-scale machine, and it was found that pre-treated fabrics could be dyed at 85°C with no worsening of their dyeing performances compared with fabrics conventionally dyed at the boil. In this work, the physical, low-stress mechanical and surface properties of untreated fabrics, untreated fabrics conventionally dyed at 98°C, and plasma-treated fabrics dyed at 85°C, were measured using Kawabata’s Evaluation System for Fabrics. In particular, there were significant increases in bending and shearing characteristic values for plasma-treated fabrics dyed below the boil (85°C). Moreover, subjective hand tests highlighted that these fabrics were stiffer and crisper than the other two types of fabric, thus confirming the results of objective measurements.

Plasma and electron-beam processes as pretreatments for enzymatic processes

Abstract Plasma generated by non-polymerizing gases (oxygen, air and nitrogen) and electron-beam irradiation under different atmospheres were studied as possible pretreatments to an enzymatic process with transglutaminase (TGase). The aim was to improve the accessibility of target groups of TGase present in wool fabrics to the enzyme, thanks to chemical etching or the removal of the epicuticle layer by physical etching, thus leading to increased formation of cross-links or incorporation of primary amine compounds. For the plasma treatment, we found that oxygen promotes the cleavage of disulphide bonds by oxidation of sulphur species: a reduction of oxygen content in the gas plasma induced a reduction in oxidation yield, as shown by FTIR measurements. Conversely, nitrogen promoted a chemical etching reaction. The most significant effects were observed at high treatment power (400 W), where both cleavage of polymer chains and removal of the epicuticle layer were promoted. Air plasma at high power was the most promising pretreatment to the enzymatic process. The modifications induced a good penetration of the enzyme into the fibre core and no significant changes in enzyme activity were observed in contact with the plasma-treated fabrics. In contrast, by increasing the energy of the electrons in E-beam treatments no significant superficial modifications were observed. In fact, they promoted the cleavage of high-energy bond, such as S–S linkage, by enhancing depolymerization reaction.

Zeta Potential and Surface Physico-chemical Properties of Atmospheric Air-plasma-treated Polyester Fabrics

The effects of atmospheric air-plasma treatments on woven polyester (PET) textile structures were studied by surface analysis methods: zeta potential, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), wettability and capillarity methods. The zeta potential of the fabrics was based on the established principles of streaming potential. The zeta potential measurements showed that plasma-treated fabrics indicated an acidic surface character. The water contact angle on plasma-treated PET decreased from 80° to 40°, indicating an increase in the surface energy of PET fibers due to a change in the fiber surface chemical nature, which was confirmed by an increase of the oxygen content in the surface detected by XPS. The capillary weight increased from 12 to 200 mg. Both capillary and zeta measurements showed 700 W as the optimum plasma treatment power.

Effects of Plasma Treatment of Wool on the Uptake of Sulfonated Dyes with Different Hydrophobic Properties

A wool fabric has been subjected to an atmospheric-pressure treatment with a helium plasma for 30 seconds. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed removal of the covalently-bound fatty acid layer (F-layer) from the surface of the wool fibers, resulting in exposure of the underlying, hydrophilic protein material. Dye uptake experiments were carried out at 50°C to evaluate the effects of plasma on the rate of dye uptake by the fiber surface, as well as give an indication of the adsorption characteristics in the early stages of a typical dyeing cycle. The dyes used were typical, sulfonated wool dyes with a range of hydrophobic characteristics, as determined by their partitioning behavior between water and n-butanol. No significant effects of plasma on the rate of dye adsorption were observed with relatively hydrophobic dyes. In contrast, the relatively hydrophilic dyes were adsorbed more rapidly (and uniformly) by the plasma-treated fabric. It was concluded that adsorption of hydrophobic dyes on plasma-treated wool was influenced by hydrophobic interactions, whereas electrostatic effects predominated for dyes of more hydrophilic character. On heating the dyebath to 90°C in order to achieve fiber penetration, no significant effect of the plasma treatment on the extent of uptake or levelness of a relatively hydrophilic dye was observed as equilibrium conditions were approached.

Characterization of Plasma-coated Wool Fabrics

(Si : Ox : Cy : Hz) thin films were deposited on knitted wool fabrics by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition using hexamethyldisiloxane as a monomer and argon and oxygen as feed gases in low-pressure equipment. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirmed the presence of the siloxane coating. The pilling tendency of treated samples was investigated for different deposition powers, ranging from 30 to 50 W. A reduction on pill formation was observed for all treated samples. A silicone-based wet chemical treatment was taken as the reference method for pilling reduction and plasma treatments were compared with it. The pilling grade of treated fabrics was also tested after washing and the results confirmed a good pilling behavior of plasma-treated fabrics. Changes were observed in the bursting resistance of plasma-treated wool samples compared with untreated ones, while no significant differences were found in the whiteness index.

Influence of Plasma Gas on the Quality-Related Properties of Wool Fabric

Plasma treatment affected the quality-related properties of wool fabric such as air permeability, pilling, tearing strength, tensile strength, crease-recovery angle, and surface luster which were studied thoroughly in this paper. The plasma gases with different natures were used, and the experimental results showed that the gas nature influenced the properties of air permeability, tearing strength, tensile strength, elongation, and crease recovery to different extent. In the pilling-resistance test, the antipilling property was improved but no definite conclusion was drawn to distinguish which of the plasma gases had the significant effect. The surface luster had no significant changes under the influence of plasma treatment. In addition, the low-stress mechanical properties related to fabric handle were also studied. A fabric objective measurement system, fabric assurance by simple testing, was used for measuring the low-stress mechanical properties such as extensibility, bending rigidity, shear rigidity, surface thickness, and formability. In the evaluation of the low-stress mechanical properties of the plasma-treated fabrics, the plasma treatment showed different effects on the extensibility, bending rigidity, shear rigidity, surface thickness, and formability. However, the overall results confirmed that the plasma treatment could alter the low-stress mechanical properties of the fabric.

Non-thermal plasma treatment for hydrophilicity improvement of grey cotton fabrics

Abstract In this paper the hydrophilic improvement of the grey cotton fabric by low pressure dc glow discharge air plasma is investigated. The fabrics were treated for different exposure times, discharge potentials and pressure levels. Effect of plasma treatment on the wettability of the fabric was studied by measuring contact angle and dynamic wicking rate. The surface energy values have been estimated using contact angle measurements and effective mean pore radius of the plasma-treated fabrics were estimated by modified Washburn equation via dynamic wicking technique. Degradation and dyeability of the fabrics were determined by weight loss percentage and computer colour matching procedure. Characterization of the functional changes due to the plasma treatment has been carried out by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR–ATR). The surface morphology of the untreated and plasma-treated fabrics were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Pore Structures and Anti-bacterial Properties of Cotton Fabrics Treated with DMDHEU-AA by Plasma Processes

Dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea and acrylic acid crosslinking agent was used to treat the cotton fabric with a pad-dry-plasma-cure process. Rate constants and structural diffusion resistance constants for the pad-dry-plasma-cure treated fabrics were lower than those for pad-dry-cure fabrics treated at the same resin concentration, and the values of dye absorption and equilibrium absorption of the plasma-treated fabrics were also lower than those for non-plasma-treated fabrics. However, the activation energies for the pad-dry-plasma-cure process were higher than that for the pad-dry-cure process. The anti-bacterial ability of the pad-dry-plasma-cure and pad-dry-plasma-cure with copper after-treatment fabrics were higher than that of pad-dry-cure and pad-dry-cure with copper after-treatment fabrics. The surface distribution of crosslinking agent for pad-dry-plasma-cure process was higher than for the pad-dry-cure process.

Mechanical Property and Anti-Felting Property of Wool Fabric Treated with Low-Temperature Plasma

The radio-frequency low-temperature plasma treatment on wool has been recognized as an attractive process alternative to Kroy-Hercosett treatment using chlorine, because the former process is based on an eco-friendly one. However, even now the relationship between the anti-felting effect during the repetitive machine washing and the plasma treatment on wool has not been clarified. Plasma-treated wool is considered to have one distinctive feature of so-called stiff handle.Mechanical properties of untreated fabric and plasma-treated fabric were compared for four kinds of typical wool fabrics of which textile structures are different. As the result, it was clear that rigidity and hysteresis of bending and shearing properties increased greatly by the treatment, especially for the values of 2HB and 2HG5 of KES[1]. The intensity of drawing-out a yarn from woven fabric increased greatly by the treatment. The values of 2HB, 2HG5 and the intensity of drawing out strength increased also in the conditions of high moisture regain. Further more, high correlation was found between the change of those mechanical parameters and anti-felting effect. When plasmatreatment is carried out to a wool fabric, the surface will be oxidized strongly and about 36-50 nm of the outermost surface of wool fiber is shaved off, then, all the epicuticle layer and one-third of A-layer of wool fiber are lost. It is supposed that A-layer comes out to the surface and becomes hydrophilic by the measurement of weight loss rate. From the result of XPS analysis, it was clear that the chemical composition was changed by the Ar-plasma treatment. The cohesive force between the adjacent fibers increases and fiber movement is depressed. Anti-felting effect of Arplasma treated wool fabrics is caused by the depression of fiber movements even in the water. As the wool fiber surface becomes rough by the etching and functional groups which have strong interaction with water are formed on the surface, the wool fabric show larger hysteresis in bending and shearing. Therefore, wool fabrics become shrinkfree by Ar-plasma treatment. When the plasma-treated fabrics were processed with weak amino-silicone solution, those mechanical parameters of KES and drawing-out intensity fell down to the level of original untreated fabrics. Anti-felting effect also diminished at the same time.

Size removal on polyester fabrics by plasma source ion implantation device

Plasma treatment was evaluated as an alternative clean desizing technology in this work. As indicated by weight loss, O 2 plasma treatment efficiently removed sizing agents such as polyvintyl alcohol (PVA), polyacrylic acid esters and their mixture (MIX) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics. SEM pictures of the plasma treated samples directly proved the disappearance of the sizing agents. XPS analysis showed apparent changes in chemical composition and functional groups of the PET surface after O 2 plasma treatment. Carbon content decreased due to the removal of sizing agents while oxygen content increased. O 2 plasma treatment also increased hydrophilic functional groups of sizing agents, which is confirmed by C 1s and O 1s deconvolution analyses. After O 2 plasma treatment, the PET fabric was subjected to conventional desizing process at different temperatures. Except for the PET fabric sized with PVA, plasma-treated fabrics showed more efficient desizing results when compared with untreated fabrics. Furthermore, the desizing effluent from the treated fabric gave lower TOC, COD and BOD values.

Effect of Washing and Subsequent Heat Treatment on the Water Repellency of Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Fabric and Film Treated with Carbon Tetrafluoride and Trifluoromethane Low-Temperature Plasmas.

Poly (ethylene terephthalate) fabric and film were treated with carbon tetrafluoride and trifluoromethane low-temperature plasmas, washed and subsequently heat-treated. The excellent water repellency of the plasmatreated fabrics was decreased by washing and recovered again by heat treatment. The critical surface tension of the plasma-treated films was increased by washing and decreased by the subsequent heat treatment in accordance with the water repellency of the CF4 and CHF3 plasma-treated fabrics. Changes in the surface chemical components were investigated by means of ESCA analysis. The F1s intensity of the plasma-treated fabrics was decreased by washing and recovered by heat treatment, while the O1s intensity was increased by washing and decreased by heat treatment. An excellent correlation was obtained between the change in water repellency of the fabrics by washing and heat treatment and the results of ESCA analysis.