Penetration depth of atmospheric pressure plasma surface modification into multiple layers of polyester fabrics

Penetration depth of plasma surface modification of polyester fabrics was investigated. An eight-layer stack of woven polyester fabrics was exposed to a helium/oxygen atmospheric pressure plasma jet. Water-absorption time was used to evaluate surface hydrophilicity on the top and the bottom sides of each fabric layer and water capillary rise height was recorded as a measure of modification effectiveness for each fabric layer. Surface morphology and chemical compositions of each fabric layer in the stack were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). After atmospheric pressure plasma jet treatment, the top side of the polyester fabric became more hydrophilic. The penetration of plasma surface modification into the fabric layers was deeper for fabrics with larger average pore sizes. It was found that helium/oxygen atmospheric pressure plasma jet was able to penetrate 8 layers of polyester fabrics with pore sizes of 200 gm. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.