The effect of plasma treatment on water absorption properties of silk fabrics

This paper examines effects of modification of silk fabric surface by oxygen plasma treatment. Both raw and degummed silk fabrics were plasma-treated. Preliminary results, by contact angle measurement, revealed that water absorbed immediately by the plasma-treated raw and degummed silk fabrics. In order to study the effect of plasma treatment conditions such as oxygen flow rate, exposure time, and jet-to-substrate distance on the water absorption properties of silk fabrics. The silk fabrics were treated under different plasma conditions and their water absorption properties were tested by measuring wettability and wickability. Experimental results revealed that the plasma conditions would affect the water absorption properties of silk fabrics. t is believed that such effect may be contributed by surface physical etching and chemical modification introduced by plasma treatment. On the whole, it could conclude that oxygen plasma treatment improved both wettability and wickability of raw as well as degummed silk fabrics.