Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Science to Industry: Development and Industrial Integration of New Plasma Sources and Processes for Surface Modification and Coating
(Room Room 104-A)
02 May 19
3:40 PM
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4:20 PM
Tracks:
Plasma Processing
Atmospheric pressure non-equilibrium plasma torches, though spatially smaller, have been a recent addition to the tools of production in the industry because of their inline integration advantage and low processing times. However, in a relatively short period of time plasma processes have integrated in almost all types of industries from large to small, from micro-electronics to aerospace and from hygiene products to automobile industry. This presents a new type of challenge as plasma source and the process needs to be adapted for very different materials, subject to application, and for materials extremely delicate or difficult to treat. Atmospheric pressure plasma sources can be used to clean, modify and activate the surfaces thus rendering them hydrophilic temporarily or permanently or to release the stress on recently molded polymers. These improvements in the surface properties have allowed the industry to replace and integrate alternative polymers that are more adapted functionally or economically but were not used due to lack of surface properties necessary for the application (e.g., bonding). To treat different materials, we have developed a range of plasma sources ranging from punctual static jets to rotating wider area jets or to wide area static sources to treat delicate materials and sheets, with varying speeds of treatments between 10 up to 500 m/min in inline applications. Furthermore, atmospheric pressure plasma can also be used as a reactive medium and hence used like their low-pressure counter parts as a support of CVD processes but in open environments for deposition of nanometric functional layers. Amongst others, these layers are/can be used in applications like bonding, direct bonding of polymers on metals, corrosion protection, barrier, improved printing on metals and glass, release, antifog and antibacterial surfaces. In addition, plasma generated species have shown antibacterial performance and hence some special sources can be used to disinf