Emphasizing the Parametric Study of Effects of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Treatment on the Wettability of Cotton Fabric

In textiles processing, wettability of fabric plays a very important role in enhancing processes such as
dyeing and printing. Although well-prepared cotton fabric has very good wettability, further
enhancement of its wettability can effectively improve the subsequent dyeing and printing processes.
Plasma treatment, especially atmospheric pressure plasma treatment (APPT), a continuous process,
is now drawing attention of the industry. In this study, we investigated the effect of APPT under four
operational parameters: (1) discharge power; (2) flow rate of oxygen; (3) jet travelling speed; and (4)
jet-to-substrate distance on wettability (in terms of wickability and wetting area) of cotton fabric.
Experimental results revealed that the four parameters interact with each other in affecting the
wettability of the cotton fabric. Generally speaking, the atmospheric pressure plasma treatment can
further enhance cotton fabric wettability in terms of wickability and wetting area. Experimental results
reveal that the operational parameters interact with each other in terms of their effects on wettability of
the cotton fabric. Therefore, this study provides significant technical data and information for
developing atmospheric pressure plasma treatment in textile production.