Atmospheric plasma treatments of cashmere: The role of nanoscale sizing in the spray coating processing

We discuss the effects of air atmospheric plasma interaction with the surface of a textile. We studied how plasma can promote changes in its texture and roughness at nano- and micro-meter scales, having an impact on the improvement of such macroscopic properties as hydro/oleo-repellency and pilling, without altering the hand assessment quality of the textile. These results are obtained by analyzing images taken using electron microscopy. We studied both the fluctuations of the image intensity at the fiber surfaces and their Fourier transforms at the sub-micrometer scales. As a case study, we have analyzed the modifications of a cashmere fabric and the improvement of finishing using resin spray coating. We observe a better efficiency when resin is applied to a plasma-treated sample. This result has been traced to the modifications that plasma induces on the surface at the nanoscale. This opens up wide perspectives to the use of plasma technology for the whole textile industrial sector.