A Comparison of Polypropylene-Surface Treatment by AC Corona and Dielectric-Barrier Corona Discharges in the Air

Results are presented from experimental studies of polypropylene (PP) films treated by AC corona discharge (point-plan electrode) and AC dielectric barrier corona discharge with point and a dielectric-coated plate electrode configuration voltage frequency f = 1 kHz. The hydrophobicity of these polymer film surfaces was studied by contact angle measurements. The surface energy of the polymer films was calculated from contact angle data using the harmonic mean method. The presence of a dielectric barrier on the plane electrode is demonstrated to drastically alter the corona discharge's electric properties and spatial structure organization. The results show that the dielectric barrier corona discharge treatment induces a rapid reduction in the contact angle compared to that recorded with the classical corona discharge treatment. The results showed that dielectric barrier corona treatment was bigger and effectively improve in the wettability of the polypropylene surface. This difference was explained by the fact that the barrier corona discharge generates much more activated neutral species reacting with the surface of the sample responsible for the wettability.