Hydrophobic recovery of atmospheric pressure plasma treated surfaces of Wood-Polymer Composites (WPC)

In this study, the behavior of atmospheric pressure plasma treated surfaces of Wood-Polymer Composites (WPC) was investigated as a function of time and environmental conditions. The surfaces of injection molded WPC based on polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) were treated by a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and subsequently aged under various conditions. The wettability as an indicator for change of the composite surface was assessed using water contact angle. In addition, a calculation for half-time of the contact angles was developed to predict the time span which is needed for recovery of hydrophobicity. The results showed a major influence of temperature and time, whereas the humidity only at storing conditions of 60 °C and 75% relative humidity showed a distinct effect on the activated surface. The effect of DBD treatment was stable for more than one week in the climates 20 °C and 0% RH and 20 °C and 65% RH.