Investigation of the Effect of Argon Atmospheric Pressure Plasma (APP) on the Finishing Process of Garment Leathers

In this study the effect of argon atmospheric pressure plasma on the finishing process of garment leathers was investigated. The argon atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) activation was applied to the garment leathers' surfaces for different treatment times (0, 3, 6 and 9 sec/cm(2)). After argon APP application, the garment leathers were produced by traditional finishing process. The surface properties of the treated leathers were characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The elemental and chemical composition of the leather surfaces was assessed by XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) analysis, respectively. The surface states of the leathers were evaluated by contact angle measurements and physical properties of the leathers such as tensile strength, elongation at break, double edge tear load, thickness, colour and rubbing fastness were examined. According to the obtained results, it was found that the hydrophilic property of the plasma treated garment leathers is increased. In the physical properties results, a slight increase in tensile strength, tear load and elongation at break were observed being in parallel with the increase in plasma duration. In addition, plasma modification improved the colour and rubbing fastness of the leather after finishing. The best results were obtained for 9 seconds of argon plasma treatment. It was concluded that non-destructive modification of leather surface leading to better physical and fastness properties could be achieved by appropriate gas selection and sufficient application time.