Investigation of Atmospheric Plasma Discharge and Its Application to Surface Modification of Textile Materials

In this paper, an improved quasi-stable atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma source is achieved after carefully controlled discharge voltage and current, discharge power, working gas, treatment period, and gap between the electrodes. This plasma source has been used to modify the surface of Polybutylene Terephthalate （PBT） melt-blown nonwovens and Polyester （PET） fabrics, and the various influences on surface modification and the aging effect of treated polymeric materials have been systematically investigated. In addition, the method of spectrum analysis is also used for diagnosing plasma paramneters such as electron temperature. Experimental results indicate that both the wettablity and permeation of treated PBT melt-blown nonwovens and dyeing ability of treated PET fabrics are certainly improved.

Surface Modification of Fluororubber Using Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge(DBD)

Fluoride rubber F2311 film, an alternating copolymer of CF2-CFC1 （CTFE） and CH2-CF2 （VF2） components, was treated by atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） in air. The surface structure, topography and surface chemistry of the treated F2311 films were characterized by contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, respectively. The experimental results showed that a short time air plasma treatment led to morphological, wettability and chemical changes in the F2311 films. The surface hydrophilicity increased greatly after the plasma treatment, the static water contact angle decreased from 98.6° to 32°, and oxygen containing groups （C=O, O-C=O, etc. ） were introduced. Atomic force microscopy revealed that plasma produced by DBD etched F2311 films obviously. The roughness of the samples increased remarkably with the formation of peaks and valleys on the treated surfaces. The increased surface wettability may be correlated with both the introduction of hydrophilic groups due to air plasma oxidation of the surface and the change in surface morphology etched by DBD.

Surface modification of acrylate intraocular lenses with dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure

Surface modification with dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) plasma was carried out at atmospheric pressure(argon as the discharge gas) to improve the biocompatibility of hydrophobic acrylate intraocular lens(IOL).Changes of the plasma-treated IOL surface in chemical composition,morphology and hydrophilicity were comprehensively evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),atomic force microscopy(AFM) and water contact angle(WCA) measurements.The surface biocompatibility of the untreated and plasma-treated IOLs was compared with the adhesion behavior of platelets,macrophages and lens epithelial cells(LECs) in vitro.After DBD plasma treatment,the hydrophilicity of the IOL surface was obviously improved.The changes in WCA with treatment extension may be attributed to both the introduction of oxygen or/and nitrogen-containing polar groups and the increase of surface roughness induced by plasma etching effect.The existence of low molecular weight oxidized material(LMWOM) was proved on the plasma-treated IOL which was caused by the chain scission effect of the plasma treatment.The plasma-treated IOLs resisted the adhesion of platelets and macrophages significantly.The LECs spreading and proliferation were postponed on the IOLs plasma-treated for more than 180 s,with a well maintained epithelial phenotype of LECs.The IOL biocompatibility was improved after the DBD plasma treatment.We speculate that slighter foreign-body reaction and later incidence of anterior capsule opacification(ACO) may be expected after implantation of the argon DBD plasma-treated IOL.

Experimental Study on Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuator with Different Encapsulated Electrode Widths for Airflow Control at Atmospheric Pressure

The surface dielectric barrier discharge （SDBD） plasma actuator has shown great promise as an aerodynamic flow control device. In this paper, the encapsulated electrode width of a SDBD actuator is changed to study the airflow acceleration behavior. The effects of encapsulated electrode width on the actuator performance are experimentally investigated by measuring the dielectric layer surface potential, time-averaged ionic wind velocity and thrust force. Experimental results show that the airflow velocity and thrust force increase with the encapsulated electrode width. The results can be attributed to the distinct plasma distribution at different encapsulated electrode widths.

Improving Hydrophobicity of Glass Surface Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Treatment in Atmospheric Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in industrial applications, especially in material surface treatment. In this paper, the treatment of a glass surface for improving hydrophobicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure in ambient air is conducted, and the surface properties of the glass before and after the DBD treatment are studied by using contact angle measurement, surface resistance measurement and wet flashover voltage tests. The effects of the applied voltage and time duration of DBD on the surface modification are studied, and the optimal conditions for the treatment are obtained. It is found that a layer of hydrophobic coating is formed on the glass surface after spraying a thin layer of silicone oil and undergoing the DBD treatment, and the improvement of hydrophobicity depends on DBD voltage and treating time. It seems that there exists an optimum treating time for a certain applied voltage of DBD during the surface treatment, The test results of thermal aging and chemical aging show that the hydrophobic layer has quite stable characteristics. The interaction mechanism between the DBD plasma and the glass surface is discussed. It is concluded that CHa and large molecule radicals can react with the radicals in the glass surface to replace OH, and the hydrophobicity of the glass surface is improved accordingly.

Effects of Atmospheric DBD Plasma Treatment on the Surface Properties of PAN-Based Carbon Fiber

Plasma treatment has been known as an effective way to improve the surface bonding between the reinforcement material and the matrix, by modifying the surface morphology and the chemical composes of the material. In order to investigate the effects of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment on the surface properties of polyacrylonitrile-based (PAN-based) carbon fiber, atomic force microscope(AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), and contact angle test were introduced to compare different treatment duration. The interfacial adhesion of carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) composites were analyzed by a single fiber composite (SFC) for filament fragmentation test. And the tensile strength test and Weibull analysis were carried out to observe whether the etching could affect the strength. The results prove that the DBD plasma improves the surface properties of the carbon fiber. Further, when the treatment time was around 90 s, the roughness and oxygen containing group of the carbon fiber reached the peak values. Also, the fiber showed the best adhesion to the polymer in contact angle test and the optimum interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in fragmentation test. The Weibull analyses of the tensile data revealed no substantial changes in the tensile strength within the treatment time of 180 s.

Surface Treatment of Polypropylene Films Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge with Magnetic Field

Atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma is of interest for industrial applications. In this study, polypropylene （PP） films are modified by a dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） with a non-uniform magnetic field in air at atmospheric pressure. The surface properties of the PP films before and after a DBD treatment are studied by using contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. The effect of treatment time on the surface modification with and without a magnetic field is investigated. It is found that the hydrophilic improvement depends on the treatment time and magnetic field. It is also found that surface roughness and oxygen-containing groups are introduced onto the PP film surface after the DBD treatment. Surface roughness and oxygen-containing polar functional groups of the PP films increase with the magnetic induction density. The functional groups are identified as C-O, C=O and O-C=O by using XPS analysis. It is concluded that the hydrophilic improvement of PP films treated with a magnetic field is due to a greater surface roughness and more oxygen-containing groups.

Preparation of Copper Nanoparticles Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure and its Mechanism

Dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） cold plasma at atmospheric pressure was used for preparation of copper nanoparticles by reduction of copper oxide （CuO）. Power X-ray diffraction （XRD） was used to characterize the structure of the copper oxide samples treated by DBD plasma. Influences of H2 content and the treating time on the reduction of copper oxide by DBD plasma were investigated. The results show that the reduction ratio of copper oxide was increased initially and then decreased with increasing H2 content, and the highest reduction ratio was achieved at 20% H2 content. Moreover, the copper oxide samples were gradually reduced by DBD plasma into copper nanoparticles with the increase in treating time. However, the average reduction rate was decreased as a result of the diffusion of the active hydrogen species. Optical emission spectra （OES） were observed during the reduction of the copper oxide samples by DBD plasma, and the reduction mechanism was explored accordingly. Instead of high-energy electrons, atomic hydrogen （H） radicals, and the heating effect, excited-state hydrogen molecules are suspected to be one kind of important reducing agents. Atmospheric-pressure DBD cold plasma is proved to be an efficient method for preparing copper nanoparticles.

Improvement of Polytetrafluoroethylene Surface Energy by Repetitive Pulse Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment in Atmospheric Air

Improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy by non-thermal plasma treatment is presented, using a nanosecond-positive-edge repetitive pulsed dielectric barrier discharge generator in atmospheric air. The electrical parameters including discharging power, peak and density of micro-discharge current were calculated, and the electron energy was estimated. Surface treatment experiments of polytetrafluoroethylene films were conducted for both different applied voltages and different treating durations. Results show that the surface energy of polytetrafluoroethylene film could be improved to 40 mJ/m2 or more by plasma treatment. Surface roughness measurement and surface X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicate that there are chemical etching and implantation of polar oxygen groups in the sample surface treating process, resulting in the improvement of the sample surface energy. Compared with an AC source of 50 Hz, the dielectric barrier discharges generated by a repetitive pulsed source could provide higher peak power, lower mean power, larger micro-discharge current density and higher electron energy. Therefore, with the same applied peak voltage and treating duration, the improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy using repetitive pulsed plasma is more effective, and the plasma treatment process based on repetitive pulsed dielectric barrier discharges in air is thus feasible and applicable.

Bacteria Inactivation Using DBD Plasma Jet in Atmospheric Pressure Argon

A coaxial dielectric barrier discharge plasma jet was designed, which can be operated in atmospheric pressure argon under an intermediate frequency sinusoidal resonant power supply, and an atmospheric pressure glow-like discharge was achieved. Two kinds of typical bacteria, i.e., the Staphylococcus aureus （S. aureus） and Escherichia coil （E. coil）, were employed to study the bacterial inactivation mechanism by means of the non-thermal plasma. The killing log value （KLV） of S. aureus reached up to 5.38 with a treatment time of 90 s and that of E. coil up to 5.36 with 60 s, respectively. According to the argon emission spectra of the plasma jet and the scanning electron microscope （SEM） images of the two bacteria before and after the plasma treatment, it is concluded that the reactive species in the argon plasma played a major role in the bacterial inactivation, while the heat, electric field and UV photons had little effect.

Surface Treatment of Polyethylene Terephthalate Film Using Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge in Air

Non-thermal plasmas under atmospheric pressure are of great interest in polymer surface processing because of their convenience, effectiveness and low cost. In this paper, the treatment of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film surface for improving hydrophilicity using the non-thermal plasma generated by atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD) in air is conducted. The discharge characteristics of APGD are shown by measurement of their electrical discharge parameters and observation of light-emission phenomena, and the surface properties of PET before and after the APGD treatment are studied using contact angle measurement, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that the APGD is homogeneous and stable in the whole gas gap, which differs from the commonly filamentary dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). A short time (several seconds) APGD treatment can modify the surface characteristics of PET film markedly and uniformly. After 10 s APGD treatment, the

Surface Decontamination of Chemical Agent Surrogates Using an Atmospheric Pressure Air Flow Plasma Jet

An atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） plasma jet generator using air flow as the feedstock gas was applied to decontaminate the chemical agent surrogates on the surface of aluminum, stainless steel or iron plate painted with alkyd or PVC. The experi- mental results of material decontamination show that the residual chemical agent on the material is lower than the permissible value of the National Military Standard of China. In order to test the corrosion effect of the plasma jet on different material surfaces in the decontamination pro-cess, corrosion tests for the materials of polymethyl methacrylate, neoprene, polyvinyl chloride （PVC）, polyethylene （PE）, phenolic resin, iron plate painted with alkyd, stainless steel, aluminum, etc. were carried out, and relevant parameters were examined, including etiolation index, chroma- tism, loss of gloss, corrosion form, etc. The results show that the plasma jet is slightly corrosive for part of the materials, but their performances are not affected. A portable calculator, computer display, mainboard, circuit board of radiogram, and a hygrometer could work normally after being treated by the plasma jet.

Atmospheric-Pressure DBD Cold Plasma for Preparation of High Active Au/P25 Catalysts for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation

Cold plasma generated by dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure was adopted for preparation of commercial TiO2 Degussa P25 supported Au catalysts （Au/P25- P） with the assistance of the deposition-precipitation procedure. The influences of the plasma reduction time and calcination on the performance of the Au/P25-P catalysts were investigated. CO oxidation was performed to investigate the catalytic activity of the Au/P25 catalysts. The results show that DBD cold plasma for the fabrication of Au/P25-P catalysts is a fast process, and Au/P25-P （4 min） exhibited the highest CO oxidation activity due to the complete reduction of Au compounds and less consumption of oxygen vacancies. In order to form more oxygen vacancies active species, Au/P25-P was calcined to obtain Au/P25-PC catalysts. Interestingly, Au/P25- PC exhibited the highest activity for CO oxidation among the Au/P25 samples. The results of transmission electron microscopy （TEM） indicated that the smaller size and high distribution of Au nanoparticles are the mean reasons for a high performance of Au/P25-PC. Atmospheric- pressure DBD cold plasma was proved to be of great efficiency in preparing high performance supported Au catalysts.

In-situ reduction of silver by surface DBD plasma:a novel method for preparing highly effective electromagnetic interference shielding Ag/PET

Electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding composites with good flexibility and weatherability properties have attracted increased attention.In this study,we combined the surface modification method of sub-atmospheric pressure glow discharge plasma with in situ atmospheric pressure surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma(APSDBD)reduction to prepare polyethylene terephthalate supported silver(Ag/PET).Due to the prominent surface modification of PET film,mild plasma reduction,and effective control of the silver morphology by polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP),a 3.32μm thick silver film with ultralow sliver loading(0.022 wt%)exhibited an EMI shielding efficiency(SE)of 39.45 d B at 0.01 GHz and 31.56 d B at 1.0 GHz(>30 d B in the range of 0.01–1.0 GHz).The SEM results and EMI shielding analysis indicated that the high performance originated from the synergistic effect of the formation of silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs)with preferentially oriented cell-like surface morphologies and layer-by-layer-like superimposed microstructures inside,which demonstrated strong microwave reflection properties.Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and x-ray diffractometer showed that the surface structures of the heat-sensitive substrate materials were not destroyed by plasma.Additionally,APSDBD technology for preparing Ag/PET had no special requirements on the thickness,dielectric constant,and conductivity of the substrate,which provides an effective strategy for manufacturing metal or alloy films on surfaces of heat-sensitive materials at a relatively low cost.

Parameter Optimization for Enhancement of Ethanol Yield by Atmospheric Pressure DBD-Treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In this study, Saccharomyces cerevisiae （S. cerevisiae） was exposed to dielectric barrier discharge plasma （DBD） to improve its ethanol production capacity during fermenta- tion. Response surface methodology （RSM） was used to optimize the discharge-associated pa- rameters of DBD for the purpose of maximizing the ethanol yield achieved by DBD-treated S. cerevisiae. According to single factor experiments, a mathematical model was established using Box-Behnken central composite experiment design, with plasma exposure time, power supply volt- age, and exposed-sample volume as impact factors and ethanol yield as the response. This was followed by response surface analysis. Optimal experimental parameters for plasma discharge- induced enhancement in ethanol yield were plasma exposure time of 1 rain, power voltage of 26 V, and an exposed sample volume of 9 mL. Under these conditions, the resulting yield of ethanol was 0.48 g/g, representing an increase of 33% over control.

Tuning Effect of N_2 on Atmospheric-Pressure Cold Plasma CVD of TiO_2 Photocatalytic Films

To deposit TiO2 films through plasma CVD, the partial pressure ratio of O2 to TIC14 should be greater than the stoichiometric ratio （PO2/PTiCl4 〉 1）. However, this may lead to the formation of powder instead of film on the substrate when using volume dielectric barrier discharge （volume-DBD） at atmospheric pressure. In this study, by adding N2 into the working gas Ar, TiO2 photocatalytic films were successfully fabricated in the presence of excess O2 （PO2/PTiC14 = 2.6） by using a wire-to-plate atmospheric-pressure volume-DBD. The tuning effect of N2 on the deposition of TiO2 film was studied in detail. The results showed that by increasing the N2 content, the deposition rate and particle size of the TiO2 film were reduced, and its photocatalytic activity was enhanced. The tuning mechanism of N2 is further discussed.

Synthesis of Cu-Doped Mixed-Phase TiO_2 with the Assistance of Ionic Liquid by Atmospheric-Pressure Cold Plasma

An atmospheric-pressure dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） gas-liquid cold plasma was employed to synthesize Cu-doped TiO~ nanoparticles in an aqueous solution with the assistance of [C2MIM]BF4 ionic liquid （IL） and using air as the working gas. The influences of the discharge voltage, IL and the amount of copper nitrite were investigated. X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption-desorption measurements and UV-Vis spectroscopy were adopted to characterize the samples. The results showed that the specific surface area of TiO2 was promoted with Cu-doping （from 57.6 m^2.g^-1 to 106.2 m^2.g^-1 with 3% Cu-doping）, and the content of anatase was increased. Besides, the band gap energy of TiO~ with Cu-doping decreased according to the UV-Vis spec- troscopy test. The 3%Cu-IL-TiO2 samples showed the highest eificiency in degrading methylene blue （MB） dye solutions under simulated sunlight with an apparent rate constant of 0.0223 min-1, which was 1.2 times higher than that of non-doped samples. According to the characterization results, the reasons for the high photocatalytic activity were discussed.

空气中纳秒脉冲均匀DBD增加聚合物的表面亲水性

介质阻挡放电(DBD)产生的等离子体对于聚合物材料表面改性有着显著的效果,但在大气压下DBD通常表现为丝状放电导致处理不均匀,使其应用受限。为此采用单极性重复频率ns脉冲电源在常压空气中产生均匀DBD,利用不同的条件对聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯(PET)和聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)材料薄膜表面进行改性处理。结果显示均匀DBD能有效提高材料薄膜表面的亲水性,并且改性效果与处理时间、施加电压、重复频率和气隙间距密切相关。较高的施加电压和重复频率,以及较长的处理时间和较窄的气隙间距可以获得比较好的改性效果。实验结果可以为聚合物改性应用优化提供很好的参考。

DBD等离子体改性芳纶表面的动态工艺研究

采用介质阻挡放电(DBD)空气等离子体,选择不同放电强度及处理时间对芳纶表面进行连续动态处理。通过扫描电镜以及光电子能谱仪对处理前后芳纶表面进行表征。结果表明,经DBD等离子体处理后的芳纶表面粗糙度有较大提高,浸润性显著提高,且纤维表面C元素质量分数下降超过5%,0元素质量分数约上升8%;芳纶表面的粗糙度、浸润性及含氧基团含量均随放电强度和处理时间的增加而提高。

常压DBD等离子体对高分子纤维材料改性应用

利用常压介质阻挡放电等离子体对超高分子量聚乙烯和聚丙烯纤维进行表面改性,研究了处理前后聚乙烯纤维的力学性能的变化和纤维束与环氧树脂粘合性能的改善情况,以及等离子体处理对聚丙烯纤维吸湿改性的影响。结果表明,纤维束在断裂强度相对较低的情况下,纤维与树脂的层间剪切应力有比较大的提高,此外,等离子体处理后经观察发现,聚丙烯纤维的微观表面出现了明显的凹坑和裂纹,其吸湿性能得到了提高。