Plasma Modification of Polypropylene Materials for Improved Adhesion

Abstract: Materials based on PP are widely used in industrial applications. To fulfil application demands, components must often be lacquered, printed or glued. As PP is highly unreactive and presents a low surface energy, a pretreatment that can promote bondability is necessary. The aim of the present work was to investigate and evaluate the plasma technique as a means for altering the surface properties of a series of PP and TPO materials, the ultimate goal being to improve the adhesion of lacquer to these materials. Part of the overall task was also to study the effect of material composition and to increase the understanding of how the plasma interacts with the substrate surface.