Experimental Study of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet and Its Application in the Surface Modification of Polypropylene

Abstract

The cold plasma technology is gaining popularity as one of the most effective tools for a wide range of applications. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet (CAPPJ) has attracted considerable attention in recent times for materials processing such as surface modification and biomedical applications. The cold atmospheric pressure plasma jet sustained in pure argon has been used here to modify the surface properties of polypropylene. CAPPJ has been generated by a high voltage power supply 5 kV at an operating frequency of 20 kHz. This paper reports the diagnostics of CAPPJ in argon environment by electrical and optical methods and its application in the surface modification of polypropylene (PP). The surface properties of the untreated and plasma-treated PP samples were characterized by contact angle measurements, surface free energy determination, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Most of the previous work has used RF power supply which is more expensive compared to the power supply used in the present study. The plasma jet is designed with locally available materials and can be used for continuous treatment for long time. We have successfully developed a plasma device that is able to generate a non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet of low temperature. Therefore, a cost-effective system of generating a plasma jet at atmospheric pressure with potential applications in materials processing and biomedical research has been developed.