Parametric Study of Effects of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment on the Wettability of Cotton Fabric

In textiles processing, wettability of fabric plays a very important role in enhancing processes such as dyeing and printing. Although well-prepared cotton fabric has very good wettability, further enhancement of its wettability can effectively improve the subsequent dyeing and printing processes. Plasma treatment, especially atmospheric pressure plasma treatment (APPT), a continuous process, is now drawing attention of the industry. In this study, we investigated the effect of APPT under four operational parameters: (1) discharge power; (2) flow rate of oxygen; (3) jet travelling speed; and (4) jet-to-substrate distance on wettability (in terms of wickability and wetting area) of cotton fabric. Experimental results revealed that the four parameters interact with each other in affecting the wettability of the cotton fabric. The results are discussed comprehensively.