Study of Wetting Properties Enhancement on Polyester and Cotton Fabrics Due to Corona Glow Discharge Plasma
Ade Ika Susan1, Muhammad Nur1,2, Mohamad Widodo3
1Department of Physics, Faculty of Sains and Mathematics Diponegoro University, Semarang-INDONESIA
2Center for Plasma Research, Diponegoro University, Semarang-INDONESIA
3Department of Textile Industry, Polytechnic of Textile Technology, Bandung-INDONESIA
ABSTRACT
This research has evaluated the influence of corona glow discharge plasma irradiation on wetting properties of polyester and cotton fabrics. The causal factors of the changes in wetting properties were observed as functions of irradiation parameters and the changes in wetting properties itself. Corona glow discharge plasma, with multi point to plane configuration, has been generated by DC high voltage. Fabric’s properties have been change by means of corona glow discharge plasma irradiation by variating time of treatment, distance between electrodes and voltage. The results showed that the changes in wetting properties of fabrics were caused by free radicals which generated by plasma. Time of treatment that provides the optimum enhancement of wetting properties was 15 minutes. Fabric’s wetting properties were affected by the distance between electodes, while the distance between electrodes that provides optimum enhancement of wetting properties was 2 cm.
Keywords: Polyester, cotton, plasma, corona, wetting properties, free radicals.
Corresponding Author. E-mail: m.nur@undip.ac.id Telp: +62-24-7460058, Fax: +62-24-76480675