Assessment of surface modifications and activation stability of plasma treated elastomeric composite

The purpose of this study was to assess the surface modifications and activation stability of atmospheric-pressure air plasma treatment on elastomeric composite surface. The changes within morphology, chemical composition, wettability, surface free energy and thermal stability were discussed immediately after plasma treatment (0 th day), and after 7, 14, and 21 days. The chemical XPS, SEM-EDS, and FTIR analysis revealed various processes involved on the plasma-treated surface, including surface oxidation, sulfur oxidation, and carbon reduction along with proportional distribution of elements throughout 21 days. Both exposure times of 2 s and 4 s caused significant modifications of the elastomeric composite based on achieved hydrophilization effect, surface free energy growth, and varied enthalpy of curing process. By evaluating the water contact angles (WCA) and surface free energy (SFE), both exposure times achieved similar results immediately after plasma treatment. Respecting the C/O ratio, no major recovery in WCA and SFE was recognized within 21 days of aging. 2 s plasma exposure revealed some structure recovery connected to the oxygen reduction on 21 st day. Considerably, the atmospheric-pressure air plasma working on diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) exhibited some promising results and disclosed important long activation stability of plasma treated elastomeric composite surface.