Surface Modification of Stainless Steel Using Radio-Frequency Generated Cold Plasma

Atmospheric pressure plasma modifies the surface properties of materials while preserving their bulk characteristics. Here, we show how an oxygen helium atmospheric pressure plasma can increase surface energy of 330 series stainless steel, a material used in biomedical and industrial applications. Plasma treatment was done with a commercial atmospheric pressure plasma reactor. Optical Emission Spectroscopy was performed to assess relative concentrations of plasma species present. In addition to demonstrating the effectiveness of this surface treatment approach, our results show that the increase in hydrophilicity is proportional to the concentration of reactive oxygen species present in the plasma suggesting that these species are important to the treatment process. Keywords: Surface modification; cold plasma; Reactive Oxygen Species