Induced super hydrophilicity due to surface modification of polypropylene membrane treated by O2 plasma

Radio frequency (RF) plasma offers a unique route for the surface modification of polymer. The influence of the plasma treatment on the basic properties of the porous membranes such as effective void volume and the flow rate were investigated. It was shown that the polymer ablation significantly alters the hydrophilicity leading to the enhancement of the water flux. Here, the polypropylene membrane was tested by O-2 plasma to emphasize that the contact angle nonlinearly decreases with the treatment time. The XPS surface sensitive technique was applied to confirm the drastic skin change of the oxygen content showing that membrane becomes super hydrophilic due to the significant O-2 implant. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.