Effects of Different Plasma Atmospheres on Surface Modification of Aramid Fiber by Dielectric Barrier Discharge Technique

Dielectric barrier discharge technique is used for surface treatment of aramid fiber in order to optimize its surface properties.The effects of different plasmas including Ar,Ar/O2 and Ar/N2 as well as their flux on the surface modification of aramid fiber are studied.Micro-bond test,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and atomic force microscope(AFM)are utilized to characterize and compare the variations of surface adhesion,chemical composition,functional groups and surface roughness of treated aramid fibers,respectively.The results indicate that the type of plasmas and their flow rate would both influence the effects of surface modification,which determines whether the surface etching or the activating of functional groups plays dominant role in the surface modification of aramid fibers.