Surface Modification Of Polyethylene Terephthalate Research Articles

Oxyfl uorinated polyethylene terephthalate for liquid storage containers

The effectiveness of surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate with a mixture of fluorine and oxygen to reduce the permeability to water and aqueous ethanol solutions has been studied. We obtained a decrease in the permeability coefficient of the modified fi lm for water and ethanol solutions, the degree of decrease in the permeability coefficient depends on the chemical composition of the liquid. Oxyfluorination leads to the production of a modified fi lm with an increased liquid diffusion coefficient compared to the original fi lm, which is associated with the formation of local defects which is confirmed by micrographs made with of an atomic force microscope and by measuring the surface roughness of the original and modified films.

A Bilayer High-Temperature Dielectric Film with Superior Breakdown Strength and Energy Storage Density

HighlightsA bilayer dielectric film is prepared via coating boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) by solution casting on the surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.The BNNS layer acts as the efficient barrier layer to suppress the charge injection, thereby making the surface-modified PET films exhibit excellent breakdown strength and electrostatic energy storage performance.The surface coating methods are accessible and suitable for large-scale roll-to-roll process production of dielectric films.

The coloration of polyester fabric with Prangos ferulacea natural dye: new approaches toward a cleaner production

PurposeNatural colorants are believed to be safe because of their nontoxic, noncarcinogenic and biodegradable nature, and also, the demand for natural dyes is steadily increasing. This study aims to investigate the dyeing of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics under cold plasma and ultraviolet (UV) radiation conditions with Prangos ferulacea.Design/methodology/approachIn the first, some PET fabrics were modified using UV radiation and some others by cold plasma (oxygen/argon), and then the dyeing of fabrics with the natural dye was done (100°C/130°C) without using metallic mordant. Dyeability (color strengths) of the treated samples, colorfastness to washing, light and rubbing, water absorption time, crease recovery angle, air permeability and mechanical behavior were investigated.FindingsThe maximum color strength (k/s = 4.87) was achieved for the fabric exposed to UV radiation for 2 h and then dyed with Prangos ferulacea at 130 °C. The results indicated that the dyed fabric showed acceptable colorfastness (very good–excellent) properties in washing and rubbing fastness except for colorfastness to light (moderate). The strength and the angle of crease recovery of treated and dyed samples have increased, while the time of water absorption and air permeability have decreased.Originality/valueThe surface modification of PET (UV radiation and plasma treatment) provides a new idea to improve the dyeability of PET with Prangos ferulacea natural dye without using metallic mordant.

Generation of Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Using Water Electrode

In this experiment, an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) generated with a water electrode is investigated by means of optical measurements and imaging. The discharge was generated using a high voltage (0-20kV) power supply operating at 10-30 kHz with water as one of the electrode and borosilicate glass as a dielectric barrier of 2.5mm thickness. This paper reports the generation and characterization of atmospheric pressure plasma in nitrogen environment and its application in the surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The generated plasma has been characterized by image analysis and optical emission spectroscopy. Our results showed that the distribution of micro-discharges depends significantly on the inter electrode gap and applied voltage. In order to characterize the discharge, electron temperature has been determined by using line intensity ratio method. The results showed that Te depends on applied voltage and pressure inside the chamber. The values of Te were found to be 1.40 eV and 0.95 eV applied at 1kV and 10kV voltage using 1% concentration. The discharge was produced at various conditions for the study of effectiveness of treatment on the surface property of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). After the treatment of the sample in different treatment time: 10s, 20s, 40s, and 60s, the hydrophobic properties of sample changed to the hydrophilic. To investigate the effect of plasma treatment on Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer contact angle was measured by using goniometer with water as a testing liquid. The surface properties of the untreated and plasma treated PET samples were characterized by contact angle measurement, and surface energy analysis. Before treatment the contact angle for untreated sample was 77.1° and after treatment its contact angle becomes 38.7° , 35.04° , 33.6° and 31.6° respectively.

Influence of air addition on surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate treated by an atmospheric pressure argon plasma brush

An atmospheric pressure argon plasma brush with air addition is employed to treat polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface in order to improve its hydrophilicity. Results indicate that the plasma plume generated by the plasma brush presents periodically pulsed current despite a direct current voltage is applied. Voltage−current curve reveals that there is a transition from a Townsend discharge regime to a glow one during one discharge period. Optical emission spectrum indicates that more oxygen atoms are produced in the plume with increasing air content, which leads to the better hydrophilicity of PET surface after plasma treatment. Besides, an aging behavior is also observed. The hydrophilicity improvement is attributed to the production of oxygen functional groups, which increase in number with increasing air content. Moreover, some grain-like structures are observed on the treated PET surface, and its mean roughness increases with increasing air content. These results are of great importance for the hydrophilicity improvement of PET surface with a large scale.

Improvement of PET surface modification using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet with different shielding gases

This work demonstrates the influence of shielding gases on the performance of an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) and its efficiency in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface treatment. The impact of the shielding gas type (argon, nitrogen) and its flow rate on the spatial distribution of the reactive plasma species is determined by applying optical emission spectroscopy (OES) while surface analysis techniques reveal the influence of the plasma footprint on the polymeric surface under the same conditions. The findings indicate that the optical emission intensity of the reactive species is highly influenced by the shielding gas injection. Moreover, adding argon to the ambient atmosphere of the plasma jet during the treatment improves the PET degree of wettability and the size of the modified area. This outcome is supported by an increase in the amount of incorporated oxygen through increments in C–O and O–CO groups. Compared to argon, nitrogen shielding gas decreases the area of the plasma impact and acts as a barrier for activating the surface. These results thus reveal the potency of shielding gases on controlling the APPJ ambient conditions and its surface modification effectiveness.

Natural Biomineralization-Inspired Magnesium Silicate Composite Coating Upregulates Osteogenesis, Enabling Strong Anterior Cruciate Ligament Graft-Bone Healing In Vivo.

Artificial ligaments prepared from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are widely accepted for clinical anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction to recover the native function of knee joints. However, due to the chemical inertness and hydrophobicity of PET, improving its bioactivity and promoting graft-bone integration are still great challenges. Inspired by the natural biomineralization process on the surface of a historical stone, in this study, a bioactive organic/inorganic composite coating that is composed of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and chondroitin sulfate with magnesium silicate (MgSiO3) doping is developed for surface modification of PET (MSPC-PET). This composite coating promotes adhesion and proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and its bioactive inorganic components (MgSiO3) could induce osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Furthermore, an in vivo experiment indicated that this composite coating might afford superior graft-bone integration between MSPC-PET and the host bone tunnel, and fibrous scar tissue formation was also inhibited. More importantly, a biomechanical analysis proved that there was a strong integration between the MSPC-PET graft and the bone tunnel, which will improve biomechanical properties for the restoration of ACL function. This study shows that this bioactive composite coating-modified PET graft for the ACL reconstruction can effectively achieve good integration of ACL artificial grafts and bone tunnels and prevent surgical failure.

Generation of a large-scale uniform plasma plume through the interactions between a pair of atmospheric pressure argon plasma jets

In this Letter, a uniform air plasma plume with a fairly large scale is generated downstream of an air flow through interactions between a pair of argon plasma jets excited by a direct current power supply. With increasing power voltage, two separated plumes are first generated downstream of the pair of jets, which transit to the uniform planar plume with a fairly large scale. The planar plume elongates with the increasing air flow rate or power voltage. Moreover, the temperature of the planar plume is comparatively low with a maximum of about 80 °C, which is symmetrically distributed perpendicular to the pair of jets. For the separated plumes, discharge current is intermittently pulsed under a time-invariant gap voltage. However, both gap voltage and discharge current are periodically pulsed for the planar plume. High-speed video images reveal that the planar plasma plume stems from two discrete plumes flushing out of the pair of jets, which are soon merged together by a cathode-directed streamer due to interactions between them, leading to the generation of an arc-shaped filament. Due to the air flow, the arc-shaped filament keeps moving away from the jet vicinity until it quenches at last, which belongs to a glow discharge regime. In addition, surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is performed with our planar plasma plume, which reveals that the hydrophilicity of the PET surface can be improved greatly.

In-situ growth of UiO-66-NH2 onto polyacrylamide-grafted nonwoven fabric for highly efficient Pb(II) removal

Developing a robust and high-loading metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) composite for heavy metal removal via a facile strategy is a focus but challenging issue. Herein, a UiO-66-NH2 functionalized nonwoven fabric composite for highly efficient Pb(II) removal was developed by in-situ growth strategy. The polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nonwoven fabric support was activated by NaOH to alleviate its inertia and was further modified by polyacrylamide (PAM) to enhance its surface chemical activity to acquire PAM-PET. And then UiO-66-NH2 crystals were compactly and uniformly grown on PAM-PET surface to achieve the UiO-66-NH2-PAM-PET composite. FT-IR and XPS demonstrated the successful modification of PET surface and the facile growth of UiO-66-NH2 crystals on PAM-PET. The adsorption behavior of the UiO-66-NH2-PAM-PET composite was systematically investigated by kinetics and isotherms experiments, which respectively corresponded to the Pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, indicating that the adsorption processes of this MOF composite toward Pb(II) were chemisorption and monolayer adsorption. Benefitting from the intrinsic merit of UiO-66-NH2, the UiO-66-NH2-PAM-PET composite exhibits an outstanding adsorption capacity of 711.99 mg g−1 toward Pb(II). Furthermore, the as-prepared UiO-66-NH2-PAM-PET composite shows excellent selectivity and splendid reusability, illustrating that this MOF composite is a promising candidate to removal Pb(II) in practical applications.

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).

Physical and mechanical properties of surface modified poly ethylene terephthalate films through low pressure plasma and ultra-violet light

The present work focussed on the effect of UV light radiation and Direct current glow Discharge Plasma (DC) on Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) surface for food packaging applications. The PET was treated by three different plasma such as air, argon, and oxygen with a treatment time of 5–25 min and pressure kept as 3 Pa. The PET film was exposed by UV radiation using the wavelength between 200–400 nm UV light Lamp with a treatment time of 5–25 min. And also we measured the electron temperature (Te) and electron density (Ne) of the three different plasmas by Single Langmuir probe method. The surface properties of UV light radiated and plasma treated PET films were characterized by static contact angle, x-ray diffraction, Optical analysis (UV–vis), ATR-FTIR, Structural analysis (AFM)) and the results were compared. We observed that the bulk properties of the treated materials remained unchanged. This was confirmed by x-ray diffraction results. The new polar functional groups were also detected on the treated films by FTIR spectrum analysis. The surface roughness was calculated from AFM analysis for both untreated and treated PET films. The oxygen plasma treated sample showed higher roughness, which indicated that a large amount of oxygen containing polar groups appeared on the surface of the PET film. The obtained results reveal that the plasma treated PET films were more effective than the Ultra-violet (UV) light radiated film.

Preparation of Ag/graphene composite films by three-component spray-spin-spray coating on surface modified PET substrate

We report a novel method of three-component spray-spin-spray coating to prepare uniform and dense Ag/graphene nanosheet (Ag/GNS) composite films on a surface modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Compared with an untreated sample, the adhesion between composite films and the substrate was significantly enhanced due to the effects of chemical etching and molecular grafting. From the results of the four-probe test, the sheet resistance of hybrid films of Ag/GNS-5 reduced by 60% compared to the pristine Ag films, which was due to the efficient deposition of GNS by spray-spin-spray coating method. Meanwhile, a variety of complex flexible patterns were successfully fabricated with the help of the masking method. This means that the method could provide an efficient and low cost way for flexible electronics production of various complex flexible metallic coatings in practice.

Selective-area ALD for positively and negatively charged layers into the ion-beam track-etched conical pores in polyethylene terephthalate

This paper presents the strategy of selective-area growing of a positively-charged layer of Al2O3 and the negatively-charged layer of HfO2 on ion beam track-etched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanotubes through the thermal atomic layer deposition (T-ALD) technique. We used the self-assembled monolayer of octadecyl trichlorosilane (OTS-SAMs) on the surface to serve as a passivation layer and then selectively deposited the Al2O3 and HfO2 in the nanotubes. The influence of the dipping time of the substrates in the OTS solution and the experimental conditions on the roughness and the thickness of the OTS monolayer have been investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the composition of the ALD Al2O3 and HfO2 films. Atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to study the morphologies before and after the ALD of Al2O3 and HfO2. The I-V characteristics of the film confirmed the surface charge polarities in the nanotubes, i.e. the positively-charged Al2O3 and negatively-charged HfO2, in the electrically-neutral solution. The results will aid surface modification and functionalization of PET by nanotubes.

Effect of Microwave Treatment on Biophysical and Surface Properties of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) for Blood Contact Applications

The microwave radiation with different powers (0, 180, 360, 540 and 720 W) was investigated as a low-cost and easily processing technique for surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Dielectric measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to study the changes in the structural properties of PET. Contact angle was measured to indicate the wettability. Monitoring of the platelets adhesion on the surface of the samples was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using platelet adhesion test in addition to hematological tests. Results revealed that the contact angle decreased by increasing the MW power, demonstrating an increase in wettability of the samples. By increasing the microwave power, values of dielectric constant e′ and dielectric loss e″ decreased in addition to decrease in the value of electrical conductivity σ. The relaxation times τ2 and τ3 associated with the second and third regions describe the movement of the side chains and the attached groups, respectively, decreased by increasing the power of MW. This decrease reflects degradation of these chains due to the application of MW. SEM images show much less platelet adhesion on the surface of the treated samples as compared to the untreated ones. Prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT) and international normalized ratio (INR) have been prolonged after MW treatment and were comparable with the control blood values. Results of FTIR indicate that the degradation of the polymer becomes dominant after 360 W. The samples subjected to MW treatment with 360 W were found to have the most acceptable properties for blood contact applications.

Uniform surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by atmospheric pressure plasma jet with a horn-like nozzle

This work reports on surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymer by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) operated with argon. A distinguishable feature of this device is that it terminates with a conical horn-like nozzle. Three different nozzles diameters were employed with the purpose to obtain uniform surface modification over large area. Treatments in small 3D objects that fit inside the conical horn were also conducted. In this study, water contact angle (WCA) measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were performed to assess the samples wettability and the surface elemental composition, as well as, their radial distribution. Plasma-induced changes on the polymer surface morphology were evaluated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Electrical characterization of the plasma and investigation of the effect of the gas flow rate on the discharge power were carried out. After the plasma treatment PET surface became more hydrophilic over the entire area covered by the nozzle. This effect is caused by the incorporation of oxygen containing polar groups on the surface. It was also observed that depending on process parameters, the plasma treatment can extend even outside the area of the conical horn. The degree of surface modification depends on plasma dose while the treatment uniformity is determined mostly by the distance to the sample. Overall, a quite uniform surface modification was obtained over the entire area covered by the jet nozzle. Thus, the results suggest that by simply changing the jet geometry and choosing the right treatment parameters one can achieve a uniform treatment over an area whose size is determined by the horn diameter.

Spectroscopic Diagnostics of Enhanced Magnetron and Mesh Separation Effects in Cyclonic Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Surface Modification of Polyethylene Terephthalate

The correlation of plasma surface modification consequence and the electron characteristics in plasma state with the enhanced magnetron source and metal mesh screen are studied by cyclonic-atmospheric-pressure plasma on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface. The contact angle measurement is employed to examine the plasma modified PET surface hydrophilicity. Optical emission spectroscopy is used to detect the electronic excitation temperature and electron density in cyclonic atmospheric pressure plasma. The electronic excitation temperature and the electron density are measured as the operational conditions of adding magnetron source and metal mesh separation. Boltzmann plot method is employed to estimate the electronic excitation temperature whereas electron density measurement by the Voigt profile. The results show that both electronic excitation temperature and electron density have similar trend i.e., both increasing with the enhanced magnetron source while decreasing trend is observed with passing through the metal mesh.

Research on the Effect of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma Remote Treatment on Drag Force of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Yarns in Air Flow with Different Humidities

In this paper, long-lived free radicals in atmospheric-pressure DBD plasma were used to treat PET yarn surface. Subsequently, the drag force of treated yarns in air flow at four humidities (40 ± 3, 50 ± 3, 60 ± 3, 70 ± 3%) was measured. The results suggest that with the increase of flow humidity, the air drag force of untreated yarn decreased while that of plasma-treated ones on average increased gradually. The average growth rates of the drag force under each humidity were 5.33, 7.58, 10.08 and 12.28% respectively. Meanwhile, the air drag force of the yarns treated at different specific input energy (SIE) densities and treatment time varied obviously under different flow humidity. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed to characterize the yarn surfaces chemically. The topology and roughness of PET yarns were measured by atomic force microscopy. The tensile test was carried out to characterize the mechanical strength. The ozone, nitrate and nitrite radicals and total organic carbon in tail gas of plasma were also analyzed. The maximal atomic concentration of N element on PET surface could reach 8.0%. The obtained results can improve the understanding of the property of long-lived reactive species from DBD plasma source generated at different SIE and the difference in PET surface etching and modification during remote treatment at different SIE. Moreover, the results also provide an experimental guideline for the improvement of weaving efficiency in air-jet weaving.

Preparation of conductive, flexible and transparent films by in situ deposition of polypyrrole nanoparticles on polyethylene terephthalate

In this study polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles were deposited as a thin film on the modified surface of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) by in situ chemical polymerization in the presence of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBSNa) and mixture of them as the surfactant. The surface of PET was modified by KOH before deposition and was investigated for conductivity and adhesion of PPy nanoparticles to PET. Resulting conductive flexible films were characterized by UV–Vis spectroscopy, fieldemission scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements and four-point-probe technique for conductivity. Direct morphological observation (FESEM) and electrical measurements indicated that the morphology, conductivity and the nature of deposited PPy films depend on surfactant, surface modification of PET and monomer concentration. In optimized process condition, uniform conductive films of PPy were obtained with good adhesion to PET.

Inductively coupled plasma surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate and application in a triboelectric generator

We herein report our investigation into the effect of plasma-induced surface modification of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface on the output performance of a triboelectric generator (TEG). The PET surface was subjected to plasma treatment using a CF4/CH4/Ar gas mixture (25–75% CF4) to increase the surface roughness and triboelectric charge density. Plasma diagnostics were then performed using optical emission spectroscopy and a double Langmuir probe, while analysis of the surface roughness and surface characteristics was performed using atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Following plasma treatment, we prepared a triboelectric energy harvester device, and demonstrated an outstanding improvement in TEG short-circuit current measurements.

Environmentally friendly surface modification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric by low-temperature oxygen plasma and carboxymethyl chitosan

Polyester fiber is one of the most important materials for textile manufacturing. However, the conventional antistatic finishing processes for polyester involve numerous energies and chemicals, with corresponding environmental pollution. In this work the synergetic effects of low-temperature oxygen plasma (P) and N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (N) treatments on the antistatic and antibacterial properties of polyester fabrics were investigated. The physicochemical changes in polyester fabric surface were detected by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transforms infrared spectrometer (ATR-FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). After treatment with low-temperature oxygen plasma, larger amounts of oxygen containing polar groups appeared on the surface of fabrics. Together with N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan treatment, the loading efficiency was significantly improved. In comparison with an oxygen plasma or N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan treatment solely, good water absorbency of polyester fabric was achieved by their combined treatment (PN). Treatment with N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan delivered good antistatic property of fabrics. Moreover, the N and PN treated fabrics showed 19.4% and 38.8% bacterial reduction against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, Gram positive), respectively. However, all the treated polyester fabrics had no obviously antibacterial effect on Escherichia coli (E. coli, Gram-negative). The potential mechanism of the surface modification was also proposed, and then an appropriate attachment process of N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan on the surface of the plasma treated polyester fabric was suggested. These findings indicate that the proposed process can provide good antistatic performance for polyester fabrics with a minimum of pollution.