The journal from which my blog discussion will be coming from is entitled simply Engineering. This academic journal is published monthly and covers a wide range of research topics.
This week the article I chose is entitled Role of plasma surface treatments on wetting and adhesion. This article sets up the exigence of plasma surface treating by discussing the new technological advances in packaging. Packaging companies are using new polymers on the outside of their packages that a much harder to inscribe or ink for labeling purposes. The currently employed technique for this inking is called corona treating.
The author of this article displays research that shows an increased viability of plasma treatment for labeling. Plasma is defined as "an ionized gas at atmospheric pressure" [1]. When these new polymer packages are treated with plasma instead of the normally used corona treatment, surface energies are greatly increased. This increase in surface energy means that the ink in the labels will have a greater bond to the polymer and will therefore be less likely to fade.
This discovery means that plasma treatment may become a viable option for packaging companies to increase the life of prints on their new polymer labels. The author mentions that this new treatment is comparable in cost to the corona treatment process as well, meaning this new treatment may be utilized soon by packaging companies.
If you are curious about the "4th state of matter" known as plasma, here is a video for your enjoyment.
[1]Wolf, Rory, and Amelia Carolina Sparavigna. "Role of plasma surface treatments on wetting and adhesion." Engineering 2.6 (June 2010): 397(6). Academic OneFile. Gale. Clemson University Libraries. 13 Oct. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=clemson_itweb
It's cool to see applications of plasma. Plasma has always felt like a mystery to me and I never really knew how it could be applied. Should of thought about surface treatment applications. Thanks for sharing.
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