Surface Activation of PTFE With Non‐Thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Generated By DBD in Different Working Gases and Study of Hydrophobic Recovery

ABSTRACT Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), also known as Teflon®, is a highly inert polymer whose activation is a very difficult task. The present study investigates the effect of a non‐thermal atmospheric pressure plasma generated by a diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) in air, oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor‐enriched nitrogen on the surface properties of PTFE. Wettability has increased already after 3 s of plasma treatment, where WCA decreased from an initial 112.1° to 92.2° in humid nitrogen. The lowest WCA of 81.7° was achieved after 120 s treatment in ambient air. Although the polar component of surface free energy increased in all plasma exposure conditions, chemical analysis proved negligible incorporation of oxygen (~2%) and nitrogen (< 1%) into the PTFE surface.