Advances In Plasma Processes For Polymers

This Special Issue aimed to compile original and cutting-edge research works in the fields of plasma process, polymerization, synthesis, characterization, treatment, modification, manufacturing, and applications of functional plasma-processed polymers.

This volume compiles essential contributions to the most innovative fields of Plasma Processes and Polymers. High-quality contributions cover the fields of plasma deposition, plasma treatment of polymers and other organic compounds, plasma processes under partial vacuum and at atmospheric pressure, biomedical, textile, automotive, and optical applications as well as surface treatment of bulk materials, clusters, particles and powders. This unique collection of refereed papers is based on the best contributions presented at the 16th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry in Taormina, Italy (ISPC-16, June 2003). A high class reference of relevance to a large audience in plasma community as well as in the area of its industrial applications.

More than 99% of all visible matter in the universe occurs as highly ionized gas plasma with high energy content. Electrical low- and atmospheric-pressure plasmas are characterized by continuous source of moderate quantities of energy or enthalpy transferred predominantly as kinetic energy of electrons. Therefore, such energetically unbalanced plasmas have low gas temperature but produce sufficient energy for inelastic collisions with atoms and molecules in the gas phase, thus producing reactive species and photons, which are able to initiate all types of polymerizations or activate any surface of low reactive polymers. However, the broadly distributed energies in the plasma exceed partially the binding energies in polymers, thus initiating very often unselective reactions and polymer degradation. The intention of this book is to present new plasma processes and new plasma reactions of high selectivity and high yield. This book aims to bridge classical and plasma chemistry, particularly focusing on polymer chemistry in the bulk and on the surface under plasma exposure. The stability of surface functionalization and the qualitative and quantitative measurement of functional groups at polymer surface are featured prominently, and chemical pathways for suppressing the undesirable side effects of plasma exposure are proposed and illustrated with numerous examples. Special attention is paid to the smooth transition from inanimate polymer surfaces to modified bioactive polymer surfaces. A wide range of techniques, plasma types and applications are demonstrated.

The aim of this book is to show how to make useful plasma polymerization processes resulting in polymeric (organic) materials - usually thin films of the desirable properties. The main emphasis is on the detailed discussion of the deposition apparatus, deposition parameters and properties of the obtained films. The historical background and the processes related to plasma polymerization are discussed. Fundamentals of plasma physics and plasma chemistry are concisely reviewed and used as a base for the explanation of plasma polymerization principles and its models. Special attention is devoted to the real plasma polymerization reactors and various polymer film deposition arrangements. Many technical details are examined including the influence of process parameters on the properties of the resulting plasma polymers. New systems based on a microwave discharge are also described. The properties of the most important plasma polymers - plasma polymerized organosilicons, halocarbons and composite metal/plasma polymers are reviewed. Finally, the applications of plasma polymers are presented, e.g. for passivation and protective coatings, lithography and optical beam recording, electrophotography, microelectronics, modifications of conventional polymer surfaces - biomedical uses, membranes, etc. Future prospects and developments in plasma polymerization e.g. for molecular electronics and other areas are also outlined.

A panel of internationally renowned scientists discuss the latest results in plasma technology. This volume has been compiled with both a didactic approach and an overview of the newest achievements for industrial applications. It is divided into two main sections. One is focused on fundamental technology, including plasma production and control, high-pressure discharges, modeling and simulation, diagnostics, dust control, and etching. The section on application technology covers polymer treatments, silicon solar cell, coating and spray, biomaterials, sterilization and waste treatment, plasma propulsion, plasma display panels, and anti-corrosion coatings. The result is an indispensable work for physicists, chemists and engineers involved in the field of plasma technology.

This book addresses plasma modification of polyolefin surfaces. It comprises 21 chapters divided into three major sections. The first section covers the different techniques used for plasma modification of polyolefin surfaces and the effects of various gases as a surrounding medium, while the second provides a detailed analysis of the physics and chemistry of plasma modification and discusses various innovative characterization techniques, as well as ageing of the modified surface. It focuses on the analysis of changes in polymers’ surface chemistry using various spectroscopic techniques, and of changes in their surface morphology after plasma treatment using optical microscopy, electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. In addition, it provides detailed information on the characterization of modified polymer surfaces. The book’s third and last section covers a range of applications of plasma-modified polyolefin surfaces varying from the packaging industry to the biomedical field, and shares valuable insights on the lifecycle analysis of plasma modification and modified surfaces.

NONTHERMAL PLASMAS FOR MATERIALS PROCESSING This unique book covers the physical and chemical aspects of plasma chemistry with polymers and gives new insights into the interaction of physics and chemistry of nonthermal plasmas and their applications in materials science for physicists and chemists. The properties and characteristics of plasmas, elementary (collision) processes in the gas phase, plasma surface interactions, gas discharge plasmas and technical plasma sources, atmospheric plasmas, plasma diagnostics, polymers and plasmas, plasma polymerization, post-plasma processes, plasma, and wet-chemical processing, plasma-induced generation of functional groups, and the chemical reactions on these groups along with a few exemplary applications are discussed in this comprehensive but condensed state-of-the-art book on plasma chemistry and its dependence on plasma physics. While plasma physics, plasma chemistry, and polymer science are often handled separately, the aim of the authors is to harmoniously join the physics and chemistry of low-pressure and atmospheric-pressure plasmas with polymer surface chemistry and polymerization and to compare such chemistry with classic chemistry. Readers will find in these chapters Interaction of plasma physics and chemistry in plasmas and at the surface of polymers; Explanation and interpretation of physical and chemical mechanisms on plasma polymerization and polymer surface modification; Introduction of modern techniques in plasma diagnostics, surface analysis of solids, and special behavior of polymers on exposure to plasmas; Discussion of the conflict of energy-rich plasma species with permanent energy supply and the much lower binding energies in polymers and alternatives to avoid random polymer decomposition Technical applications such as adhesion, cleaning, wettability, textile modification, coatings, films, etc. New perspectives are explained about how to use selective and mild processes to allow post-plasma chemistry on non-degraded polymer surfaces. Audience Physicists, polymer chemists, materials scientists, industrial engineers in biomedicine, coatings, printing, etc.