Disparity in hydrophobic to hydrophilic nature of polymer blend modified by K2Ti6O13 as a function of air plasma treatment

Polymer blends of Poly (vinylidenefluoride) (PVDF)/Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were modified by Potassium hexa-titanate oxide (K2Ti6O13) in weight fraction ratio. The blends were further exposed to air plasma treatment. The alteration of surface morphology due to plasma treatment was analyzed using polarizing optical, scanning electron and atomic force microscopic techniques. The confirmation of chemical composition and elemental analysis of untreated and treated blends were done using Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR) and energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS). Theoretical methods of calculating contact angle (θ°), surface energy (γSE), and roughness average (Ra) were disclosed to evaluate the experimental data. The microscopic observations clearly demonstrated the synergic effect induced by plasma treatment which improved the surface energy and formation of micro texture. Surface energy was estimated from contact angle data, which demonstrate the significant disparity in hydrophobic to hydrophilic nature. It is well known that the air plasma treatment incorporates polar functional groups onto the surface, which is responsible for the decrease in contact angle. Further, the increase in surface roughness as seen from AFM is also responsible for the decrease in contact angle and hydrophilic nature. The optimization of barrier properties of polymer blends using plasma treatment can be useful in the development of liquid attracting layer applications.