Low Temperature Plasma Treatment for Wool Fabric

Wool fabric was treated with low temperature plasma (LTP) with a non-polymerizing gas, namely oxygen. After the LTP treatment, the properties of the fabric, including low-stress mechanical properties, air permeability and thermal properties, were studied. The low-stress mechanical properties obtained by the means of Kawabata Evaluation System Fabric (KES-F) revealed that the tensile, shearing, bending, compression and surface properties were altered after the LTP treatment. The changes in these properties are believed to be related closely to the inter-fiber and inter-yarn frictional force induced by the LTP treatment. The decrease in the air permeability of the treated wool fabric was found to be probably due to the plasma action effect on increasing in the fabric thickness and a change in fabric surface morphology. The change in the thermal properties of the LTP-treated wool fabric was in good agreement with the above findings and can be attributed to the amount of air trapped between the yarns and fibers. This study suggested that the properties changed by the LTP treatment can influence the final properties of the wool fabric.