Properties of the plasma treated polyamide

• Grant number: 13/06808-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Physics of Fluids, Plasma Physics and Electrical Discharge
• Principal Investigator: Elidiane Cipriano Rangel da Cruz
• Grantee: Yara Quilles Marinho
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The creation of regular patterns on the surface of polymers is a recognized method for controlling the receptivity of such materials to different compounds. Amongst the techniques used to generate the patterns, the removal of material of the surface by plasma ablation has attracted great attention due to a series of advantages. However, the application of such technology relies on the knowledge of the effect of the plasma on the material properties. In this work, the polyamide, a commercial thermoplastic widely spread in industrial applications will be exposed to oxygen ablation plasmas. To investigate the corrosion velocity imposed to it, the plasmas will be excited using different powers of the electrical signal and oxygen pressures. The exposure time of the samples to the plasma will be also varied. The thickness of the layer removed in specific treatments will be measured by profilometry. Using the thickness results, the etching rate will be evaluated. Furthermore, it will be determined the effect of the plasma on the surface properties of the polyamide. The water wettability and the surface energy of the samples will be investigated by the sessile drop technique using water and diiodomethane as probe liquids. The roughness will be studied by topographic profiles acquired by profilometry. This association of data will favor the optimization of the corrosion process of the polyamide in oxygen plasmas as well as know the effect of the process parameters on the surface properties of this material. These results will also contribute to another research project which aims to construct well-defined geometry-regular patterns on the polyamide surface. (AU)