Plasma-treated Samples Research Articles

Improving gelatin-based emulsion films with cold plasma using different gases.

In this research, the effects of cold plasma treatment on the properties of gelatin‐based emulsion films (GEFs) using different gases were investigated. The gases used include O2, N2, air, Ar, and ethanol‐argon (EtOH‐Ar). Surface hydrophobicity, morphology, water vapor permeability (WVP), and mechanical, thermal, and antifungal properties after plasma application on the film were analyzed. The results revealed that surface hydrophilicity significantly increased after cold plasma, while the contact angle significantly decreased (p < .05). Furthermore, atomic force microscopy results showed that the argon gas plasma significantly increased roughness of the GEFs surface. Besides, plasma did not decrease WVP. Different gases had no significant effect on the mechanical properties of the GEFs (p > .05). Oxygen permeability after plasma application was significantly different from the control sample; consequently, the permeability after plasma application decreased and the lowest level 55.7 (cm3μm m−2 day−1 Pa−1) was seen for oxygen gas. Plasma treatment caused etching effects and lessened the surface moisture of the polymer film. Antimicrobial activity was observed in the cold plasma‐treated samples, especially under air and nitrogen atmosphere. Cold plasma treatment is an effective method for surface modification, expanding the application of emulsion films in the packing industry with improved performance properties.

Emerging techniques in food science: the resistance of chlorpyrifos pesticide pollution against arc and dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Many studies introduced cold plasma as a novel and effective processing technology for microbial decontamination of food and water as well as for the removal of environmental pollution such as pesticide. However, as there are several types of plasma designs, their efficacy in degrading major pesticide residues, such as chlorpyrifos (as a hazardous chemical), should be explored. This study was conducted to assess the decontamination efficacy of 8 min of arc and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on chlorpyrifos pesticide-water samples at a con-centration of 2 mg·L-1. The plasma-treated samples were assessed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and compared with the control (untreated) sample. In addition, the effects of plasma processes on some physical properties of samples were studied. According to the results, plasma-treated samples showed similar physical characteristics (e.g., refractive index and color values) to those of the untreated samples. While the temperature of the samples remained steady during the DBD plasma treatment, arc plasma changed the temperature of the sample at a rate of about 3.75°C·min–1 and yielded a sample with a final temperature of 60°C. However, contrary to the general belief that plasma is an efficient technique for pesticide degradation, chemical analyses showed high resistance of chlorpyrifos against both arc and DBD plasma under the conditions used in the present study. Therefore, the possibility of high resistance of pesticide pollution to this emerging technology should be considered. Also, further studies on the efficiency of the selected plasma system for removing pesticide pollution (e.g., during water and wastewater treatment) at industrial scale is needed.

Antimicrobial finishing of hide/leather by atmospheric pressure plasma and extracts of Cassia renigera and Cassia fistula bark

In this study, pre-tanning stage goat hide was treated with atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge with the aim to provide an eco-friendly antimicrobial finishing. The untreated and the air plasma-treated hide pieces were incubated in sterilized agar media. Upon incubation, untreated sample showed noteworthy growth of fungus, while the plasma-treated piece remains unaffected which clearly reveals the sterilization capacity of the plasma treatment. The fungus grown on untreated sample was cultured and identified with fungal specific ITS rRNA gene sequence and Basic Local Alignment Search Tool and found to be strains of Curvularia sp. with 100% similarity to Curvularia caricae-papayae and 99% similarity to Curvularia pseudobrachyspora. The untreated and plasma-treated goat hide samples were subsequently dipped into the extract obtained from bark of two Cassia species: Cassia renigera and Cassia fistula to provide antifungal/antibacterial finishing. Effectiveness of this anti-fungal finishing was demonstrated by inoculating the samples with culture of the fungus and incubation. The obtained results indicate that samples treated with the plasma and the extracts finishing deliver substantial antifungal activity in comparison to that of untreated extract finished goat hide. Additionally, the plasma treated followed by plant extract finished samples provide evidence of antibacterial finish which has been confirmed by zone of inhibition against a Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Activation of hide surface and generation of various functional groups due to the plasma treatment were accountable for better uptake of the extracts and thus imparting antimicrobial finish.

Increasing the effectivity of the antimicrobial surface of carbon quantum dots-based nanocomposite by atmospheric pressure plasma

Preventing nosocomial infections is one of the most significant challenges in modern medicine. The disinfection of medical facilities and medical devices is crucial in order to prevent the uncontrolled spread of bacteria and viruses. Cost-effective, eco-friendly and fast-acting antibacterial coatings are being developed as the prevention of bacteria and viruses' multiplication on various surfaces. One of the possibilities to create such antimicrobial coatings can rely on a photoactive material, that produces singlet oxygen. However, a remote production of the singlet oxygen and disinfection of the desired surface is a time-consuming process. Hence, a coating material that would autonomously produce singlet oxygen employing ambient light will have a significant impact on the shortening of the disinfection time; leading into an increased number of patients that can be cured in one facility. In this work, an ultra-fast and eco-friendly method for decreasing the disinfection time of the photoactive surface is presented. The atmospheric pressure plasma surface treatment on the hydrophobic carbon quantum dots-polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite is employed. The plasma-treated samples exhibited improved antibacterial properties compared to non-plasma treated samples, with the best results obtained after only 30 seconds of plasma treatment. The short duration and the scalability potential of the here described method open new possibilities of how to improve the already existing antibacterial coatings.

Enhanced Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Amine-Functionalized Titanium Using Humidified Ammonia Supplied Nonthermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma.

The surface molecular chemistry, such as amine functionality, of biomaterials plays a crucial role in the osteogenic activity of relevant cells and tissues during hard tissue regeneration. Here, we examined the possibilities of creating amine functionalities on the surface of titanium by using the nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (NTAPPJ) method with humidified ammonia, and the effects on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) were investigated. Titanium samples were subjected to NTAPPJ treatments using nitrogen (N-P), air (A-P), or humidified ammonia (NA-P) as the plasma gas, while control (C-P) samples were not subjected to plasma treatment. After plasma exposure, all treatment groups showed increased hydrophilicity and had more attached cells than the C-P. Among the plasma-treated samples, the A-P and NA-P showed surface oxygen functionalities and exhibited greater cell proliferation than the C-P and N-P. The NA-P additionally showed surface amine-related functionalities and exhibited a higher level of alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin expression than the other samples. The results can be explained by increases in fibronectin absorption and focal adhesion kinase gene expression on the NA-P samples. These findings suggest that NTAPPJ technology with humidified ammonia as a gas source has clinical potential for hard tissue generation.

Enhancement of Electromagnetic Wave Shielding Effectiveness of Carbon Fibers via Chemical Composition Transformation Using H2 Plasma Treatment.

H2 plasma treatment was performed on carbon-based nonwoven fabrics (c-NFs) in a 900 W microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system at 750 °C and 40 Torr. Consequently, the electromagnetic wave shielding effectiveness (SE) of the c-NFs was significantly enhanced across the operating frequency range of 0.04 to 20.0 GHz. We compared the electromagnetic wave SE of the H2 plasma-treated c-NFs samples with that of native c-NFs samples coated with nano-sized Ag particles. Despite having a lower surface electrical conductivity, H2 plasma-treated c-NFs samples exhibited a considerably higher electromagnetic wave SE than the Ag-coated c-NFs samples, across the relatively high operating frequency range of 7.0 to 20.0 GHz. The carbon component of H2 plasma-treated c-NFs samples increased significantly compared with the oxygen component. The H2 plasma treatment transformed the alcohol-type (C–O–H) compounds formed by carbon-oxygen bonds on the surface of the native c-NFs samples into ether-type (C–O–C) compounds. On the basis of these results, we proposed a mechanism to explain the electromagnetic wave SE enhancement observed in H2 plasma-treated c-NFs.

Aging effect of plasma-treated carbon surfaces: An overlooked phenomenon

Carbon surfaces become significantly activated with plasma treatment enhancing the surface energy, wettability, and bio-conjugation. However, the activated surfaces are influenced by aging effect or reorientation phenomenon, a rarely reported occurrence, that refers to the loss of surface activity with time. Generated plasma-activated surface functional groups suffer from a brief shelf life as they reorient themselves to occupy lower states of energy. This study thoroughly assesses plasma-treated pyrolyzed carbon platforms with O2, N2, and Ar plasma radiations over 3 weeks. Pristine, immediately treated, and aged carbon samples were analyzed by SEM, AFM, WCA, and XPS to observe physical and chemical changes of the surfaces. Moreover, the electrochemical analyses demonstrated radical alterations of the surface characteristics immediately after the treatment; an activation which did not last long regardless of the plasma choice. With time, clear signs of surface inactivation were recorded manifesting in the form of decreased roughness, increased water contact angle, and major alterations of surface chemical composition, capacitance, and resistance. Our observations confirm that the plasma-treated carbon samples return to the pristine surface characteristics within a brief period of time thus demonstrating the loss of surface activity irrespective of the treatment choice.

Plasma treatment effects on bulk properties of polycaprolactone nanofibrous mats fabricated by uncommon AC electrospinning: A comparative study

The prominent success of polycaprolactone (PCL) electrospun nanofibrous mats (ENM) has expanded the use of PCL over other polymers for tissue engineering applications. However, the major challenge in the design of a nanofibrous scaffold is to modify its surface properties while preserving its bulk properties. Therefore, the first part of the study is focused on the fabrication of PCL-ENMs by alternating-current electrospinning using the following solvent systems: formic acid, formic acid/acetic acid (1/1) and formic acid/acetic acid/acetone (1/1/1). While the second part is focused on an nm-thick surface chemical modification via medium pressure argon and nitrogen plasma treatment, and the third part is dedicated to investigating the morphology, wettability, surface functional groups, crystallite size, crystallinity, crystallization, and melting temperature of plasma-treated nanofibers. Samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle analysis (WCA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). WCA and SEM results showed that plasma treatments significantly improve the wettability of the PCL ENMs without compromising their surface morphology. XPS analysis revealed that argon and nitrogen gases are responsible for a substantial increase in polar oxygen and nitrogen functional groups respectively. Out of the six plasma-treated PCL ENMs understudy, the argon plasma-treated sample showed superior hydrophilicity (from 136° to ~35°) followed by nitrogen plasma treatment (from 136° to ~42°). It was also found from XRD that the crystallite size was not significantly affected by the conducted plasma treatments. Moreover, the degree of crystallinity was also not altered by the plasma treatments, as was observed by DSC and FTIR. The conducted experiments showed that the surface properties of the PCL ENMs could be positively affected while maintaining their beneficial bulk properties thereby making these plasma-modified ENMs excellent candidates in multiple biomedical and tissue engineering applications.

Ni coating on 316L stainless steel using cage plasma treatment: Feasibility and swelling studies

A modified cage plasma nitriding technique is used to coat a Ni film onto a 316L substrate as a protective layer for austenitic steels in molten fluoride salts. The coating is achieved by deposition of Ni atoms sputtered from a Ni cage with a 316L substrate floated at the same potential as the cage to reduce plasma sputtering on the substrate. The Ni coating is porosity-free and precipitation-free and forms a γ-(Fe, Ni) phase due to interdiffusion from the substrate. Beneath the interdiffusion layer exists a thick γ-phase layer mainly affected by long-range nitrogen diffusion along the grain boundary. This layer develops grain boundary Cr nitride precipitates. Ion irradiation on the polished cross-section of the plasma-treated sample shows no void swelling in the surface-deposited Ni layer, very limited void formation in N diffusion layer, and significant void swelling in bulk unaffected by nitrogen. The studies demonstrate the feasibility of the technique for Ni coating and show good swelling resistance of the coating layer and N diffusion-affected layer. Mechanisms are discussed.

Experimental Study of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet and Its Application in the Surface Modification of Polypropylene

The cold plasma technology is gaining popularity as one of the most effective tools for a wide range of applications. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet (CAPPJ) has attracted considerable attention in recent times for materials processing such as surface modification and biomedical applications. The cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in pure argon has been used here to modify the surface properties of polypropylene. CAPPJ has been generated by a high voltage power supply 5 kV at an operating frequency of 20 kHz. This paper reports the diagnostics of CAPPJ in argon environment by electrical and optical methods and its application in the surface modification of polypropylene (PP). The surface properties of the untreated and plasma-treated PP samples were characterized by contact angle measurements, surface free energy determination, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Most of the previous work has used RF power supply which is more expensive compared to the power supply used in the present study. The plasma jet is designed with locally available materials and can be used for continuous treatment for long time. We have successfully developed a plasma device that is able to generate a non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet of low temperature. Therefore, a cost-effective system of generating a plasma jet at atmospheric pressure with potential applications in materials processing and biomedical research has been developed.

XPS, ToF SIMS and wettability analyses on Ni surfaces after Ar-H2 RF plasma treatment: An efficient and optimized plasma treatment approach

Electroless Ni plating is widely used for its properties such as wear resistance, uniform coating and excellent brazing and solderability. In electronic and mechatronic applications, the chemical composition of the Ni layer and its surface quality still remains elusive and improvisation of Ni layer surface quality is vital. This research work investigates the surface properties of Ni films subjected to Ar-H2 RF plasma treatment. Plasma treatment parameters are defined by utilizing D-Optimal design of experiments. A precise mapping of the evolution of Ni surface global chemical composition is obtained using an XPS. Principal component analysis on XPS mapping coupled with 3D ToF-SIMS chemical cartography enables precise identification of the different oxidation states of nickel and their distribution in the plasma-treated nickel samples. The nickel surface wettability is then determined using the classical sessile drop technique. The findings of the study enable to define the plasma optimal power and accomplish the best compromise between the positive effects of the surface decontamination and the negative effects of the surface recontamination. The optimized plasma treatment succeeds to modify the surface nature of the nickel from hydrophobic to strongly hydrophilic. It demonstrates that the Ar-H2 plasma treatment is a very efficient process to increase the Ni surface wettability and thereby to improve the electronic and mechatronic assembly processes.

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet for the Improvement of Wettability of Polypropylene

This paper reports the generation of cold plasma jet working under atmospheric pressure condition, for surface treatment of polymeric films. The discharge has been characterized by electrical and optical methods. The electrical property of the discharge has been studied by taking current-voltage wave forms using voltage and current probes. The production of argon plasma jet is done in atmospheric conditions which are relatively much cheaper, convenient, and safer to use. The atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in pure argon has been used to improve wettability of polypropylene (PP). Cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet (CAPPJ) has been generated by a high-voltage power supply (5.5 kV, 0-20 kV) at an operating frequency of 20 kHz. The surface properties of the controls and plasma-treated PP samples were characterized by contact angle measurement, surface free energy measurement, scanning electron microscopy, and the Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy analysis.

Preparation and characterization of alumina submicron fibers by plasma assisted calcination

Ceramic alumina nanofibers were prepared by plasma-assisted calcination (PAC) using atmospheric pressure plasma. Electrospun polyvinyl pyrrolidone/aluminium butoxide fibers were pre-treated by plasma generated in ambient air using a special type of coplanar dielectric barrier discharge. The effect of plasma on fibers and structural, chemical and crystalline properties of obtained ceramic nanofibers were characterized using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis were used for the study of thermal behaviour of untreated and plasma-treated samples. The ceramic fibers prepared by PAC exhibit suitable chemical composition, higher porosity, high length of fibers and better crystalline properties with simultaneous simplifying of the sintering process. The plasma pre-treatment of fibers results in a shortening of following thermal treatment, decrease of the required temperature and excludes a slow temperature increase as prevention of fibrous structure degradation typical in preparation of ceramic fibers by polymer-template techniques.

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Argon Plasma Jet Assisted Degradation of Malachite Green (MG) Aqueous Solution

The oxidative degradation of cold atmospheric pressure plasma assisted degradation of malachite Green (MG) was investigated in this study. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma assisted MG degradation process was carried out as a function various plasma treatment time (05, 10, and 15 mins). The % of degradation and presence carbon content in the plasma treated MG was examined by UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and total organic carbon (TOC) analyzer. Optical emission spectrometer was used to identify formation of various reactive species during in situ plasma treatment. The higher degradation percentage of 90% was obtained after plasma treatment time of 15 min and value of TOC also found to decreased significantly with increasing plasma treatment time. Toxicity of the plasma-treated MG aqueous solution samples was also examined by Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) bacteria.

Plasma activation and chitosan attachment on cotton and wool for improvement of dyeability and fastness properties

PurposeThe dyeing of cellulosic and proteinous fibers with natural and synthetic colorants usually needs large amounts of metal salts to promote the dyeing procedure. To get rid of the necessity to use metal salts, plasma treatment and subsequent attachment of chitosan biopolymer were considered as green processes for surface functionalization of wool and cotton. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of oxygen plasma treatment and attachment of chitosan on the dyeability of wool and cotton fabrics using walnut and weld as model natural dyes, as well as C.I. reactive blue 50 and C.I. acid blue 92 as model synthetic dyes.Design/methodology/approachWool and cotton fabrics were modified with oxygen plasma and coated with chitosan solution. The un-modified and modified samples were dyed with the above-mentioned dyes under constant conditions. The color strength, color coordinates and fastness properties of the dyed samples were determined and compared.FindingsThe results showed that oxygen plasma treatment could improve the dyeability and fastness properties of wool and cotton fibers when dyed with all of the above-mentioned dyes. Attachment of chitosan to the plasma-treated samples significantly improved the dyeability of wool and cotton fibers with walnut, acid and reactive dyes. The fastness properties of the dyed samples were enhanced by plasma treatment and chitosan coating.Originality/valueThis study uses plasma treatment as an environmentally friendly pre-treatment for attachment of chitosan on wool and cotton. This process improved the dyeing properties of both fibers. The use of metal salts in not needed for dyeing of wool and cotton according to the investigated process.

Optimization of Atmospheric Plasma Treatment Parameters for Hydrophobic Finishing of Silk Using Box Behnken Design

ABSTRACT Plasma treatment of mulberry silk fabric was carried out in an indigenously developed plasma reactor in the mixture of helium (He) and commercial fluorocarbon gas at atmospheric pressure. Optical emission spectra (OES) showed the appearance of major atomic lines of helium at 705 nm, 666 nm, 654 nm, 585 nm, and 726 nm. When fluorocarbon gas was introduced into the plasma zone along with helium, it got fragmented and showed atomic lines of fluorine (F) at 429 nm, 357 nm, 341 nm, 325 nm, and for –CF2 at 318 nm. After He-fluorocarbon plasma treatment, hydrophilic silk fabric turned into hydrophobic. Different important plasma process parameters, i.e. treatment time, helium gas flow and fluorocarbon gas flow were optimized using Box Behnken Design using Design Expert 6.0 software. Scanning electron microscope surface morphology exhibits the deposition of fluorocarbon polymer on the fiber surface without blocking the inter-fiber spacing. Hydrophobic characteristic of plasma-treated samples was evaluated by measuring water absorbency time and contact angle value. The sample could retain the imparted hydrophobic finish till 10 repeated washing cycles.

Effect of Dispersion Solvent on the Deposition of PVP-Silver Nanoparticles onto DBD PlasmaTreated Polyamide 6,6 Fabric and Its Antimicrobial Efficiency.

Polyvinylpyrrolidone-coated silver nanoparticles (PVP-AgNPs) dispersed in ethanol, water and water/alginate were used to functionalize untreated and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma-treated polyamide 6,6 fabric (PA66). The PVP-AgNPs dispersions were deposited onto PA66 by spray and exhaustion methods. The exhaustion method showed a higher amount of deposited AgNPs. Water and water-alginate dispersions presented similar results. Ethanol amphiphilic character showed more affinity to AgNPs and PA66 fabric, allowing better uniform surface distribution of nanoparticles. Antimicrobial effect in E. coli showed good results in all the samples obtained by exhaustion method but using spray method only the DBD plasma treated samples displayed antimicrobial activity (log reduction of 5). Despite the better distribution achieved using ethanol as a solvent, water dispersion samples with DBD plasma treatment displayed better antimicrobial activity against S. aureus bacteria in both exhaustion (log reduction of 1.9) and spray (methods log reduction of 1.6) due to the different oxidation states of PA66 surface interacting with PVP-AgNPs, as demonstrated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. Spray method using the water-suspended PVP-AgNPs onto DBD plasma-treated samples is much faster, less agglomerating and uses 10 times less PVP-AgNPs dispersion than the exhaustion method to obtain an antimicrobial effect in both S. aureus and E. coli.

Antibacterial Polylactic-co-glycolic Acid Braided Threads Using Plasma and Coating Modifications for Acupoint Catgut Embedding Therapy Applications

Polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) thread is frequently used for acupoint catgut embedding therapy (ACET), but the poor hydrophilicity and biocompatibility largely limited its wider applications. The aim of this study is to functionalize the PLGA braided thread and improve its cell adhesion property. The PLGA strands are first processed into threads on a circular braiding machine, and then, antibacterial treatment was introduced with and without oxygen plasma treatments. Afterward, functional characterizations such as antibacterial activity (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli), cytotoxicity, cell attachment and cell morphology, histological observation, and biodegradation experiments of threads were measured. Moreover, tensile properties and flexibility of the threads were determined to evaluate their mechanical properties. The modified threads showed rougher surfaces than those of the unmodified ones from SEM observations, and the weights and fiber diameters of the threads increased correspondingly, together with the improved surface hydrophilicity. All coated sutures showed durable antimicrobial function and slow drug releasing features for more than 5 days and good cell viability (more than 75%), according to the standard of ISO 10993-5:2009. Besides, cell attachment, tissue growth, and collagen regeneration of plasma-treated samples were greatly improved compared to those of without the plasma treatment. The threads presented slow degradation behavior after the antibacterial treatment. The threads with only plasma-treated revealed a promising prospect for clinical applications.

Comparative study between in-plasma and post-plasma chemical processes occurring at the surface of UHMWPE subjected to medium pressure Ar and N2 plasma activation

Surface chemical properties triggered by plasma activation of polymers were extensively investigated. However, clear distinctions between particular mechanisms occurring in-plasma and post-plasma treatment performed at medium pressure are up-to-the-minute missing and are therefore constituting the study aim. Polyethylene films were subjected to N2 and Ar plasma using a dielectric barrier discharge operating at 5.0 kPa with a minimally oxygen-contaminated chamber. A distinctive combination of optical emission spectroscopy and in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to characterize in-plasma species/surface interactions. Post-plasma oxidation was unraveled by exposing plasma-treated samples to ambient air and performing ex-situ XPS. In-situ XPS showed remarkably high nitrogen (20.6%) with negligible oxygen incorporation (2.8%) thus exceptionally enhancing N-selectivity when comparing to the state-of-the-art. More oxygen (5.9%) was however detected after Ar activation due to high energy metastables dissociating O2 impurities. Upon exposure to ambient air, post-plasma oxidation occurred producing more oxygen mainly in the form of O-C=O and N-C=O groups on N2-activated surfaces and C-O groups on Ar-activated surfaces. Above a certain storage time, physical processes of polymeric chain reorientation prevailed over chemical processes. Overall, in- and post-plasma surface interactions were discriminated in this work that constitutes a perfect-picture reference for polymer plasma activation.

Generation and Characterization of an Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Jet (APPJ) and Its Application in the Surface Modification of Polyethylene Terephthalate

An atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) has a lot of applications in recent years such as in material processing, surface modification, biomedical material processing, and thin film deposition. APPJ has been generated by a high-voltage power supply (0-20 kV) at an operating frequency of 27 kHz. This paper reports the generation and characterization of APPJ in argon environment and its application in the surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The plasma jet has been characterized by electrical and optical methods. In order to characterize the plasma jet, electron density and electron temperature have been determined. The surface roughness of the untreated and plasma-treated PET samples was characterized by contact angle measurement, surface energy analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM).