Continuous Plasma Treatment of Ultra‐High‐Molecular‐Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Fibres for Adhesion Improvement

Abstract

Abstract A dielectric barrier discharge in Ar, He, He/O 2 , N 2 or O 2 at atmospheric pressure was used for the continuous plasma treatment of UHMWPE fibres. The influence of the input power of the discharge and the gas flow rate on surface modification is studied with the aim of adhesion improvement. Surface characterization using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy shows a significant increase in polar functional groups and roughness at the surfaces after plasma treatment, indicating that adhesive properties can be improved.