Atmospheric air plasma treatment of polyester textile materials. Textile structure influence on surface oxidation and silicon resin adhesion

Atmospheric air plasma treatment based on Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) technology has been used to oxidise various polyester material such as film, nonwoven and woven fabric. Oxidation level was studied by wettability in order to follow the polyester polar and dispersive surface energy components. The polyester surface chemical composition was investigated by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Polar groups created at the polyester surface by atmospheric plasma treatment enhance adhesion with silicon resin containing adhesive primer. For each material structure, a critical treatment power (TPc) is necessary to obtain the best results either for oxidation or silicon adhesion. This TPc was correlated with the structure of the material. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.