Advanced Studies on Surface Characterisation of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treated Cotton Fabric—Effect of Operation Parameters

Surface characteristics of fibres and fabrics can be altered by plasma treatment and this does not
much impact the bulk properties of fibres and fabrics. Precise effect of plasma treatment, i.e., the
change it induces in characteristics of surface of the fabric, depends upon which gas is used in the
treatment. The surface of cotton fibre was modified by atmospheric pressure plasma treatment
(APPT), using gas as the carrier. Effects of variations in four operational parameters, discharge
power, oxygen flow rate, jet-to-substrate distance and speed of the jet movement were examined.
Morphology of surface of cotton fabrics was examined by generating Scanning Electron Microscopy
(SEM) images. Elementary composition of the surface of the fabric was examined by X-ray
Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy-Attenuated. Total
Internal Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) was used for examining functionality of the surface. In this study, we
revealed that the operational parameters would physical and chemically after the surface
characteristics of the cotton fibre. Physically, cracks and grooves were noted in the cotton fibre
surface after APPT. Chemically, the oxygen content in the cotton fibre surface was increased after
APPT. When the O/C ratio is taken into consideration, the surface oxidation was a steady effect in
applying APPT for treating cotton fibre in this study.