Effect of atmospheric pressure air plasma treatment on desizing and wettability of cotton fabrics

Atmospheric pressure air plasma has been used to treat grey cotton fabrics and the effect of treatment on their desizing and wettability properties is studied using the dielectric barrier discharge plasma with air and helium gas mixture. The weight loss due to etching has been determined by gravimetric method, the surface structure observed by SEM, the wettability studied by wicking action and the angle of contact test using water. It is observed that the rate of desizing increases when the fabric is pre-treated with plasma. This phenomenon of surface etching and chemical modifications can be used advantageously for industrial processing.