Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based super-hydrophilic anti-fogging layer assisted by plasma spraying for low density polyethylene (LDPE) greenhouse films

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based anti-fogging layer has been successfully developed with an impressive long shelflife by remarkably increasing the wettability of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films for agricultural greenhouses application. The plasma treatment of LDPE films was initially implemented, followed by the solution casting method. Tris-buffered saline (TBS) was added for enhancing the interaction between the anti-fogging agents and PVA polymer. Silica nanoparticles were used to enhance the stability of the layer. Time-domain NMR clarified the homogeneous silica distributed. The results show an increase in bound water fractions promotes silica distribution homogeneously. Also, obtained films become super-hydrophilic, having a contact angle less than 2 degrees without water droplets formation under the hot fog test, for 1 month at 60 degrees C. The use of a unique PVA-TBS/Surfactant-SiO2 based anti-fogging agent shows excellent performance of LDPE films, which provides a key in solving the problem of fogging for agriculture greenhouses.

Automated summary

A Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based anti-fogging layer has been developed to increase the wettability of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films for agricultural greenhouses application, with impressive long shelf life. The addition of Tris-buffered saline (TBS) and silica nanoparticles enhances the stability and super-hydrophilicity of the films, effectively solving the fogging issue for agriculture greenhouses.