Atmospheric pressure plasma jet: formation of Wenzel’s model supportive surface modification on PMMA

ABSTRACT

The generation of cold plasma at atmospheric pressure by using atmospheric-pressure plasma jet (APPJ) system and its use in the treatment of the poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) have been reported in the manuscript. The cold plasma is generated at atmospheric pressure with 120 watt and 200 watt power and 3 litres/min and 5 litres/min argon flow using a 13.56 MHz radio frequency generator. PMMA samples are treated with aforesaid parameters for different time durations. After treatment, the formation of a carbon-rich surface has been observed, while a visible and significant amount of changes in surface morphology, roughness, adhesion strength and contact angle have been observed. Due to the APPJ treatment, the Wenzel’s model supportive microconical structures have been formed for hydrophobic surfaces. Optical emission spectroscopy has been used to identify the various species in the plasma and for electron temperature measurement. The discharge phenomenon at atmospheric pressure has been understood using the basic plasma model. The interaction of the plasma with the surface has been explained using the sub-plantation model.

KEYWORDS:

• Atmospheric-pressure plasma jet
• surface morphology
• optical emission spectroscopy
• Wenzel’s model
• adhesion improvement
• surface roughness
• contact angle

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Government of India, for financial support. The authors are also thankful to the Department of Physics, BIT Mesra, for providing infrastructure and characterization facilities. The authors are also thankful to Late. Dr. P. K. Barhai, Dr. N. K. Joshi, Shri S. N. Sahasrabudhe and Dr. Srikumar Ghorui for administrative and technical support throughout the experiment.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences