Investigation of heat transfer properties of plasma-treated and silicone-elastomer coated basalt fabric

In this study, the effect of pre-plasma treatment on the adsorption of silicone to enhance the heat transfer resistance of basalt fabric for protective clothing was investigated. Fabrics were treated with plasma prior to surface coating. Changes to the un-sized basalt fibre surface were characterized by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning probe microscopy (SPM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle measurement. Furthermore, heat transfer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of basalt fabric coated with silicone were assessed. The results show that the different percentage add-ons of silicone had a significant effect on the heat transfer rate of the un-sized basalt fabric. Plasma treatment changed the fibres physically and enhanced the uniformity of the silicone coating. A combination of the plasma treatment and silicone coating revealed a significant difference in the heat transfer rate compared to the silicone-only coated basalt fabric. This finding can potentially be used to both engineer and tune the performance of protective clothing.