The Influence of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma on Etching Polyamide 6 Films

In this study, polyamide 6 (PA6) films were treated using atmospheric pressure plasma and the effects on the morphology and chemistry of the material was studied. The samples were treated at different treatment time. The surfaces modification of PA6 films were evaluated by water contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The etching rate was used to study the etching effect of atmospheric pressure plasma on the PA6 film. The results revealed that the improvement of the hydrophilic character of the surface as the water contact angle measured after the plasma treatment significantly decreased. XPS results showed that a significant increase in oxygen content with the addition of carboxylic and hydroxylic groups and a decrease in the carbon content on the surface. AFM showed that the surface roughness increased after plasma treatment. The etching rate was increased first and then decreased when the plasma treatment time increased.