Comparative Study on Surface Modification of Polyethylene Terephthalates by Four Discharge Modes

Abstract

ABSTRACTFour dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) modes are investigated in a 5 mm argon gap for the surface treatment of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to enhance its hydrophilicity. The effects of four modes on surface modification and treatment uniformity are analyzed. The changes of the PET surface hydrophilicity and the treatment uniformity are characterized by water contact angle measurement and scanning by an atomic force microscope. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the improvement in hydrophilicity is attributed to increase in the number of oxygen functional groups. It indicates that glow discharge is more suitable for uniform processing of large‐area materials, exhibiting the smallest mean absolute deviation. The results are of great significance for improving the application of DBD in material surface modification.