Surface physical and chemical properties of atmospheric pressure plasma-treated polyamideimide fibrous mats using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared imaging

Fibrous mats were fabricated from polyamideimide (PAI) by electrospinning. The PAI fibrous mats were treated by atmospheric pressure plasma and the effects of the treatment power on the surface physical and chemical properties of the PAI fibrous mats were examined by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated an optimum treatment condition for the surface modification of PAI fibrous mats by atmospheric pressure plasma. The concentration of chemical groups including oxygen and the surface roughness on the PAI fibrous mats increased with increasing atmospheric pressure plasma power, except at 300 W. The surface of the PAI fibrous mats became uneven after the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment, but the unevenness decreased at high plasma power. The chemical and morphological changes to the PAI fibrous mat surface before and after the atmospheric pressure plasma treatments were caused mainly by the etching effects and oxidative reactions induced by plasma processing.