Inner surface modification of polyethylene tubing induced by dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) offers an attractive alternative to conventional wet chemical approaches for surface modification of polymer materials while inducing adhesive or wettability properties in small diameter tubes. A DBD plasma apparatus was developed in this work to induce modification to the inner surface of microbore tubing with the capability for continuous treatment. This study investigates the effects of deposited plasma power and treatment time on surface roughness and wettability induced by the DBD system. The developed system successfully demonstrates the ability to generate a broad range of surface roughness, size and density of induced surface features, and contact angles. Additional evidence of mechanical adhesion of poly(lactic-coglycolic acid) to the induced surface features is also observed.