Investigation of the effect of cold plasma on the wettability and adhesive properties of cellulose paper

The article discusses methods of processing cellulose paper and problems associated with uneven processing and the likelihood of defects due to breakdown of the electrode insulation when using a corona discharge, also presents a schematic diagram of a power source and a layout of equipment for generating a corona discharge with a linear with an electrode. As a solution to the problem, an alternative method of paper processing is proposed using cold plasma, operating at lower temperatures and requiring less energy, which reduces the risk of thermal damage to the material, while having the same physico-chemical effect on paper as a corona discharge. This is followed by a description of an experiment on paper processing with cold plasma in order to determine the optimal parameters for processing cellulose paper to increase its wettability, power, processing time, and the distance from the tooling to the surface to be treated. Surface modification was carried out in an atmospheric environment, wettability assessment was performed by the sedentary drop method followed by computer image processing. The methods and results of processing the data obtained during the experiment are presented in the form of graphs. Based on the experimental results, it was found that cold plasma treatment leads to a significant decrease in the marginal angle of wetting with water – from initial values of more than 100 to 8–10° in the optimal mode, it is shown that the discharge power has the greatest effect on the result. Based on empirical analysis, the mathematical dependence of the edge angle on the technological parameters is obtained. A rational treatment mode has been determined, in which almost complete spreading of the droplet is achieved (an edge angle of less than 10°).

Authors: I. Yu. Abdulkhakov, A. V. Bulovich, V. D. Kovalyov

Direction: Electrical Engineering

Keywords: cold plasma, corona discharge, cellulose paper, wettability, contact angle, adhesion, surface modification, sessile drop method, surface activation

---

View full article