PLASMA TREATMENT ON TEXTILE MATERIALS

Sushmitha.D, 28.12.2011

Todays Overview

Learning Objectives
Plasma processing Classifications Procedure Benefits

Introduction To Plasma
Identified by Sir William Crookes in 1879. Named plasma by Irving Langmuir in 1928. Its the fourth state of matter, composed of an ionised gas. It can modify the wettability and dye uptake.

Main Attraction Of Plasma

Avoidance of chemical effluents. Low cost. Rapid reaction times. High cleaning efficiency. Low consumption of gas.

Classification Of Plasma
On basis of pressure in plasma chamber On basis of degree of ionisation & temp. of ions n electrons

1. Atmospheric pressure plasma. 2. Low pressure plasma

1. Hot plasma. 2. Cold plasma.

Classification of Plasma(cont)
On basis of frequency of power supply Depending upon the electron affinity of the process gases

1. DC plasma. 2. AC plasma.

1. Electropositive gas plasma. 2. Electronegative gas plasma.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma

Used in variety of material processes.

Includes transferred arcs, plasma torches, corona discharge & dielectric carrier discharge. In arcs & torches: 1.Temp. exceeds 3000 centigrade,so used in metallurgy

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma(cont.)

Corona & dielectric barrier discharge:

1.Produce non-equilibrium plasma with gas temp. between 50 to 400 centigrade. 1.Often arcing occurs btw electrodes. 1.Pointed electrodes are used to prevent arcing and lower the gas temp.

Adv. Of atmospheric plasma: 1. Continuous treatment can be given.

Disadv. Of atmospheric plasma: 1. Difficulty of sustaining of glowdischarge. 2. High voltage are required for gas breakdown. 3. Difficutly to form uniform plasma.

2. Is cost effective.

Types of atm.pressure plasma

Corona discharge

Dielectric barrier discharge Plasma jet.

Corona discharge: Current develops btw two potential electrodes in a neutral fluid, usually air. Has 2 symmetric electrodes: 1.highly curved 2.Low curvature High curvature ensures high potential gradient around another for generation of plasma

Uses of corona discharge

Activation of polymer surface Manufacture of ozone Removal of unwanted volatile organics, such as chemical pesticides,plasma.

Dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)

2 metal electrode in which one coated with dielectric layer. Cannot be operated by DC fields. Voltage-20KV; pressure-0.1 bar to 1 bar It is also known as the silent discharge.

Dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)

Advantages:

Material process like cleaning of metal surfaces Since plasma is not uniform, its use in etching and deposition is limited to cases where the surface need not be smooth..

Plasma Jet:
2 concentric electrodes through which a mix of helium, oxygen & gases flow. 13.56 MHz RF power to inner electrode at voltage btw 100v and 250v,thus gas discharge. Ionized gas from plasma jet exits through the nozzle onto a substrate. velocity-12m/s and temp-150 centrigrade. Used to etch polyimide ,tungsten and silicon dioxide.

Low pressure plasma:

Generate high concentration of reactive species. Etch and deposit thin films upto 10m/m and at temp below 150 centigrade. Ions cause directional etch at sub-micron level. A uniform glow discharge can be generated.

Low pressure plasma:

Advantages: Disadvantages: Vacuum systems are expensive. Size of the object to be treated is limited. High maintenance cost.

Low breakdown voltages. A stable operating window between spark ignition and arcing. Uniform glows.

Hot plasma:
Occurs when temp of electron,atomic and molecular species is extremely high. Nearly fully ionized. Ex:The sun and stars in the universe consist entirely of hot plasma.

Cold plasma:
Occurs when the atomic & molecular species are at ambient temp, whereas electrons at high temp. A small fraction of gas molecules is ionized. Ex: flat screen television, to finely etch channels on integrated circuits.

DC and AC plasma:
AC discharges are preferred over DC driven discharges bcz: 1.As AC frequency increases,energy transfer into the discharge is more efficient. 2.In DC discharge-unwanted charging effects.This is reduced in AC.

Electropositive plasma:
Contain species that do not form negative ions easily. Ex: noble gases like Ar,He and reactive gases like nitrogen.. No. of +ve ions=No. of electrons, although both are smaller than no. of neutrons.

Electronegative plasma:
Species which have a positive electron affinity. No. of free electrons is significantly reduced It requires high temp. to sustain & difficult to initiate. So,unstable & non-uniform often. Electron temp. is much higher than in EP plasma.

Glow discharge plasma:

Ionized gas with equal no. of +ve & -ve charges and large no. of neutral species. Formed by applying a potential difference btw 2 electrodes that are inserted in a cell filled with gas. Excitation collision forms excited species which decay to lower levels by light emission.

Benefits of plasma textile surface treatment:

i. Wetting capacity ii. Biocompatibility iii. Capillarity. iv. Bond strength v. Lubricity vi. Cleanliness & sterility vii.Washability

Conclusion:
Its utilization is still at the nascent stage. Would gain high potential in the times to come. If the high equipment cost of plasma devices is minimized ,this technology will play a crucial role for textile finishing

References:
Karthick Samanta, Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research,vol.31,March 2006. Jhala.P.B., Plasma Textile Technology, NID Publications, India 2005. www.fibre2fashion.com www.plasmatreat.com

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