Surface modification of polyamide fibers and films using atmospheric plasmas

In this work, polyamide (Nylon 6) fibers and films were treated under atmospheric pressure glow discharges (APGD) and the effects on the morphology and chemistry of the material were studied. The fibers were plasma treated with N2, C2H2 in He for (0.6–9.6) s at a frequency of 90 kHz, leading to the functionalization of the surface through the addition of new reactive chemical groups such as –COOH and –OH and changing the energy, chemical composition and wettability of the surface. e characteristics were examined via contact angle measurements, XPS, and SEM. Wettability tests revealed the improvement of the hydrophilic character of the surface as the water contact angle measured after the plasma treatments significantly decreased. The corresponding changes of the total surface energy were evaluated with a dynamic contact angle analysis system revealing a significant increase due to the exposure that can be mainly attributed to the increase of its polar component. Preliminary XPS results show a significant increase in oxygen content with the addition of carboxylic and hydroxylic groups and a decrease in the carbon content of the surface. Most importantly, the plasma modified nylon fibers and films exhibit a stable wetting behavior, even for weeks after being treated, suggesting that it is a promising technique to minimize aging phenomena.