Polymer Powder Treatment in Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Circulating Fluidized Bed Reactor

The surface activation of high-density polyethylene powder using a remote plasma process at atmospheric pressure is investigated. The developed circulating fluidized bed plasma reactor enables to carry fine-grained powder particles repetitively through the afterglow of 64 dielectric barrier discharges of argon with O2 and CO2 admixtures. The evolution of particle size distribution during conveying in the reactor is monitored by laser diffraction and reveals that only a small particle fraction is lost during the process. The contact angle of activated powder samples steadily decreases with increasing treatment time. The surface activation is most effective for O2 admixtures of 0.25 vol% and CO2 admixtures of above approximately 1 vol%, respectively.