Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow

Komlev, Andrey; Kudryavtseva, Darya; Neustroev, Ilya; Sudalenko, Yaroslava; Altynnikov, Andrey; Tsymbalyuk, Andrey; Gagarin, Alexander; Platonov, Roman

doi:10.3390/coatings15060644

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Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow

by

Andrey Komlev

^*

,

Darya Kudryavtseva

,

Ilya Neustroev

,

Yaroslava Sudalenko

,

Andrey Altynnikov

,

Andrey Tsymbalyuk

,

Alexander Gagarin

and

Roman Platonov

Department of Physical Electronics and Technology, Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University “LETI”, ul. Professora Popova 5, St. Petersburg 197022, Russia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Coatings 2025, 15(6), 644; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060644 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 28 April 2025 / Revised: 20 May 2025 / Accepted: 23 May 2025 / Published: 26 May 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasma Treatment for Coatings and Environmental Pollution Control)

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Abstract

A method for enhancing the adhesion properties of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surfaces is presented. The approach employs a fast neutrals flow generated by a DC glow discharge plasma with a grid neutralizer. Low power levels (≈6 W) provided by the stable DC discharge prevent physical sputtering and surface damage, while strong UV radiation from pure argon promotes efficient defluorination. The choice of working gas composition, discharge parameters, and treatment duration was informed by plasma emission spectroscopy, water contact angle (WCA) measurements, and systematic optimization. The combined effect of low-energy neutral particles and UV radiation leads to a significant increase in surface energy to 82 mN/m and a reduction in WCA to

13^{\circ}

, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed method. Thanks to its simplicity, scalability, and reliability, the method holds significant potential for industrial applications.

Keywords: PTFE; surface activation; glow discharge; fast-neutrals source; water contact angle; surface energy; argon plasma

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MDPI and ACS Style

Komlev, A.; Kudryavtseva, D.; Neustroev, I.; Sudalenko, Y.; Altynnikov, A.; Tsymbalyuk, A.; Gagarin, A.; Platonov, R. Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow. Coatings 2025, 15, 644. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060644

AMA Style

Komlev A, Kudryavtseva D, Neustroev I, Sudalenko Y, Altynnikov A, Tsymbalyuk A, Gagarin A, Platonov R. Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow. Coatings. 2025; 15(6):644. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060644

Chicago/Turabian Style

Komlev, Andrey, Darya Kudryavtseva, Ilya Neustroev, Yaroslava Sudalenko, Andrey Altynnikov, Andrey Tsymbalyuk, Alexander Gagarin, and Roman Platonov. 2025. "Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow" Coatings 15, no. 6: 644. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060644

APA Style

Komlev, A., Kudryavtseva, D., Neustroev, I., Sudalenko, Y., Altynnikov, A., Tsymbalyuk, A., Gagarin, A., & Platonov, R. (2025). Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow. Coatings, 15(6), 644. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings15060644

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Improved Adhesion of PTFE Surfaces via Low-Power DC Plasma and Fast Neutrals Flow

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