A review of low-temperature plasma treatment of textile materials

In recent years, plasma treatment technology has attracted more attention in the textile industry, as it seems to be a promising economically and ecologically sound alternative to conventional wet-chemical processing techniques. Plasma surface treatment is a relatively simple process that is clean, solvent-free, time saving, and environmentally friendly. Moreover, plasma treatments offer the possibility to obtain typical textile finishes without changing the key textile properties. The efficiency of plasma treatment depends on several factors including the nature of the substrate and the treatment operating conditions. However, the application of plasma technology to different kinds of textile materials has not been fully exploited. This paper presents a review of the current literature on the surface modification of textiles by low-temperature plasma (LTP) technology. Its main objectives are to (i) investigate the influence of LTP treatment on the surface properties of natural and man made textile materials, (ii) outline the contribution of LTP treatment towards sustainable development, and (iii) examine the hurdles that LTP has to overcome in the textile industry.