Abstract
Surfaces of hydrophobic polymers were treated by atmospheric pressure plasma. The plasma system used was a newly developed damage-free dielectric barrier glow discharge. Ar was mainly used as a carrier gas. The treated polymer surfaces were mainly analyzed with contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the treatment of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), atmospheric Ar plasma was found to alter the surface very hydrophilic, which is comparable to low-pressure O2 plasma. The addition of O2 in the plasma gas hardly improved the hydrophilicity. In the treatment of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), atmospheric H2 (0.1%) plasma showed the greatest hydrophilicity but it was not as good as the treatment by low-pressure H2 plasma.
