Plasma modification of viscose textile

A study on plasma treatment of a textile is presented. Samples of pure viscose textile were exposed to RF oxygen, nitrogen or hydrogen plasma for 5 s. The gas pressure was 75 Pa and the RF power was 250 W. In all cases plasma treatment induced chemical changes in the samples' surface, which were determined by using high-resolution XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectrometer). Treatments in oxygen and nitrogen plasma increased the concentration of existing as well as formation of oxygen functional groups, while hydrogen plasma caused a substantial decrease of these groups. SEM (Scanning electron microscopy) analysis of the surface of the textile fibres was performed as well. The results showed that the fibres' surface treated in nitrogen plasma was similar to the untreated surface, while after treatment in hydrogen or oxygen plasma, the surface became rougher. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.