Continuous Modification Treatment of Polyester Fabric by Ar-O2(10:1) Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Low-pressure glow discharges are efficient in generating uniform plasmas. They have been applied in the surface modification of a variety of materials. But most of these applications are limited to small-scales because of their reliance on vacuum equipments needed to sustain processes at low pressure. This work aims at commending a continuous surface treatment device, which meets the requirement of textile material surface modification by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure for industry production. In the experiment, quasi-glow-discharge, a glow-discharge like plasma, is produced under atmospheric pressure with the continuous simple device. Through the discharge of mixture of argon and oxygen, Ar-O2(10:1), polyester fabric is continuously modified. The results reveal that the dyeability of the polyester fabric is dramatically improved. The spectral value (K/S) of the dyed polyester fabric is increased by about 50%, and the relative dye up-take is also increased by about 18% after the treatment. The dyeing fastness of the modified material remains the highest degree. That is to say, the improvement of the dyeability does not degrade the dyeing fastness of the material at all. The study of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the smooth and glossy surface of polyester fiber becomes rough after the treatment. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) illustrates that Ar-O2(10:1) discharge can help generate a few carboxyl groups in the polyester fiber surface. The improvement of dyeability is attributed to the reaction of coarsenization and the introduction of functional groups in the surface during the treatment. Producing approximately uniform plasma in simple operation and achieving satisfying surface modification of textile material, this kind of device would play an active role in the future technological textile industry.