Investigation of the Wettability Using Contact Angle Measurements of Green Polyethylene Flat Films and Expanded Vermiculite Clay Treated by Plasma

Abstract

Polyethylene (PE) is a polymer that has a low adhesion property, which is related to its low surface energy. However, the plasma treatment aims the modification of the surface properties without affecting the polymer structure. In this sense, the objective of this work was to prepare biocomposite films via flat extrusion with Green PE matrix and Expanded Vermiculite Clay (VMT), contents of 1, 3 and 6%. The films were treated by plasma in two different ways: Oxygen (O2) atmosphere (Condition 1); and Argon/Hydrogen (Ar/H2) atmosphere followed by a plasma treatment under O2 atmosphere (Condition 2). The results of the contact angle measurements indicated that the incorporation of VMT and the conditions used for plasma treatment increased the films wettability due to the hydrophilic character of VMT and also as a consequence of the plasma. In contrast, the XRD diffractograms indicated that there were no significant changes in the films structure.