Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films ISTThe use of atmospheric pressure plasma processes for the cleaning of surfaces as well as the activation of polymer films, wood and wood materials to improve the wettability is already widespread in the industry. The existing and constantly developed technologies at the Fraunhofer IST enable a targeted introduction of functional groups by appropriate process management. As a result, the adhesion of lacquers or adhesives can be significantly improved since the surfaces can be adapted directly to the reactive layer system. On steel, such an adhesive layer can be superior to the traditional surface modifications.
By coating processes at atmospheric pressure, surface tensions can be adjusted specifically. In this way, hydrophilic, hydrophobic and even superhydrophobic surfaces can be realized. Atmospheric pressure plasma processes also enable the production of barrier coatings on flexible substrates, for example to avoid the migration of plasticizers from PVC: With a layer of only 300 nm thickness, the migration can be reduced by 90 percent. With atmospheric pressure plasma processes, silicon wafers, textiles, porous substrates, and objects with 3D geometries can be coated in addition to plastic films and glass substrates.
