Studies on the atmospheric air–plasma treatment of PET (polyethylene terephtalate) woven fabrics: Effect of process parameters and of aging

Abstract The effect of process parameters and of aging on the atmospheric air–plasma treatment of polyethylene terephtalate (PET) woven fabric were studied using surface analysis methods: wettability/capillarity method as well as tapping mode atomic force microscopy imaging. Treatment time and plasma power have significant effect on the variation in fabric capillary weight, surface water contact angle and surface topography. Plasma treatment of PET surface with plasma species not only degrades the surface but also causes surface restructuring as the speed is lowered and the power is increased. An optimal treatment of the PET fabric samples, in terms of increased hydrophilicity both inside and on the PET fabric, is achieved at 60 KJ/m2 and at a lower speed of 1–2 m/min: water contact angle decreasing from 81° to 40° and capillary weight increasing from 55 to 380 mg. Aging experiments show that, the plasma‐treated surface is degraded to a more disordered structure without light, whereas in presence of light a more eroded but organized structure is observed. Indeed wettability/capillarity test shows that light degrades the plasma treatment both at and inside the fabric structure. However, in absence of light, although aging is very slow at the fabric surface, a decrease in capillary uptake by the fabric is detected. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009