Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Polymerization Surface Treatments By Dielectric Barrier Discharge For Enhanced Polymer-Polymer And Metal-Polymer Adhesion

Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge (AP-DBD), which produces non-equilibrium plasmas in a controllable way at moderate gas temperature, effectively generates atoms, radicals and excited species by energetic electrons. Depending on the geometry of the reactor, the composition of the plasma gas and the electrical excitation, AP-DBD processes may be used for cleaning, etching, functionalization or coating of different surfaces. Therefore, AP-DBDs are particularly suitable for a wide range of applications, including adhesion enhancement. Recent results related to the process control of the morphology and the chemical composition of plasma thin films obtained with AP-DBD processes are presented. The use of these different plasma thin films to join different materials or to promote/inhibit adhesion is discussed.