Large-area and uniform surface modification of polymers by barrier discharge plasmas

A barrier discharge experimental setup for low-pressure and large-area (400 mm × 600 mm) surface modification of polymers is reported. The low-pressure barrier discharge plasma consists of pulsed and glow-like breakdowns with peak widths of several microseconds and leads to the uniform surface modification of polymers. In contrast, the filamentary discharges produced at atmospheric pressure cause surface damage and nonuniform treatment of polymers. This study indicates that barrier discharge plasmas generated in the small gas spacing at low discharge pressure result in efficient collisions between polymer surface and activated species, and an extremely low consumption of feed gas and discharge power.