Surface characteristics and printing properties of PET fabric treated by atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge plasma

¹ Physics department, Faculty of science, Al-Azhar university, Nasr city, Cairo, Egypt
² Unit of textile research, center of national research, Giza, Cairo, Egypt
³ Center of plasma technology, Faculty of science, Al-Azhar university, Nasr city, Cairo, Egypt

Corresponding author: abdougaramoon@hotmail.com

Received: 30 June 2008
Revised: 5 September 2008
Accepted: 24 October 2008
Published online: 16 January 2009

Abstract

PET (Poly ethylene terephthalate) fabric was treated using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) as a type of low temperature plasma under atmospheric pressure for 1 to 15 min and different powers ranging between 0.3 to 5 W. Effects of DBD treatment on the surface of a test PET fabric are examined, reported and discussed. The surface analysis and characterization were performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transition infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and following the DBD processing. SEM analysis shows significant surface morphology changes in plasma treated polyester fabric surface, while FTIR analysis indicates that the reactivity of the surface was increased. The discharge parameters used are correlated with the changes in the surface characteristics found after DBD processing of various durations, in atmospheric air environment.