Impact of Ionic Wind-Driven DBD Plasma on the Surface Electrical, Mechanical and Chemical Characteristics of Polyethylene, Polypropylene and CR-39

Impact of Ionic Wind-Driven DBD Plasma on the Surface Electrical, Mechanical and Chemical Characteristics of Polyethylene, Polypropylene and CR-39 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Impact of Ionic Wind-Driven DBD Plasma on the Surface Electrical, Mechanical and Chemical Characteristics of Polyethylene, Polypropylene and CR-39 Ayesha Armani, Muhammad Shahid Rafique, Tehreem Arshad, Muhammad Mudassar, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9230291/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Atmospheric plasma treatment is widely used for surface activation of polymers; however, the influence of ionic wind-driven dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on combined electrical, mechanical, and chemical surface characteristics has not been systematically examined. This research investigates the application of Ionic Wind, generated via Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) plasma to enhance Nitrogen ion (N⁺) implantation in Polymers. Treatments at 18 kV for up to 50 minutes induced significant modifications in surface morphology and material properties. SRIM/TRIM simulations indicated that 45 keV N⁺ ions penetrated 0.17 µm in PE/PP and 0.2 µm in CR-39. Microscopy revealed ion track alignment and trench formation, while FTIR confirmed distinct chemical alterations. Electrical and mechanical analyses showed improved conductivity and hardness, notably in CR-39 (20–40 min) and in PE/PP at 40 min. These findings establish DBD-assisted ion implantation as a promising technique for surface functionalization of polymers in advanced engineering applications. The observed surface-confined electrical, mechanical, and chemical responses provide insight into ionic wind–polymer interaction mechanisms. Such surface tuning is relevant for advanced polymer applications, including photovoltaic encapsulation systems where PE and PP are widely employed. PP(Polypropylene) PE (Polyethylene) CR-39/PADC (Polly aloyl diglycol carbonate) (DBD) Dielectric Barrier Discharge FTIR (Fourier Transformation of infrared radiation) SRIM/TRIM(Stopping range of ions in matter/Transport of ions in matter) Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9230291","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":621923267,"identity":"d1dd9bd3-2a51-4db0-89ae-c9bf78e5cb62","order_by":0,"name":"Ayesha 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Dielectric Barrier Discharge, FTIR (Fourier Transformation of infrared radiation), SRIM/TRIM(Stopping range of ions in matter/Transport of ions in matter)","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9230291/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9230291/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eAtmospheric plasma treatment is widely used for surface activation of polymers; however, the influence of ionic wind-driven dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on combined electrical, mechanical, and chemical surface characteristics has not been systematically examined. 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