Dynamic water adsorption behaviour of plasma-treated polypropylene nonwovens

Plasma surface treatment has been extensively applied in the textile industry for the modification of polymer materials. In this study, polypropylene (PP) nonwovens were treated with cold oxygen gas plasma for improving the water adsorption properties of the materials. The effects of plasma treatment on wetting and water adsorption behaviour of the materials were examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and dynamic adsorption measurements (DAM). ESEM observations revealed the behaviour of water droplets formed on the fibre surfaces. DAM also showed the effect of plasma treatment on the dynamic water adsorption behaviour of the materials. The investigation revealed that plasma treatment could significantly improve the dynamic water adsorption properties of PP nonwovens. It was also found that the fibre fineness influenced the water adsorption behaviour of the plasma-treated materials. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.