Electrical Resistivity of Plasma Treated Viscose and Cotton Fabrics with Incorporated Metal Ions

Abstract

Cellulose fabrics (viscose and cotton) were treated with atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in air. After DBD treatment, samples were characterized and volume electrical resistance was measured under different relative humidity conditions (φ=40-55 %). Results have shown that DBD treatment increases wettability and polar surface functional groups content, which consequently causes a decrease of volume electrical resistivity of cellulose fabrics in measured relative humidity range (φ=40-55 %). Metal ions (silver, copper, and zinc) were incorporated in untreated and plasma treated samples through sorption from aqueous solutions and incorporation of metal ions into plasma treated cellulose samples decreased electrical resistivity even further. Resistivity of cotton and viscose fabrics with incorporated metal ions followed the order Zn2+ > Cu2+ > Ag+. The most pronounced decrease, for entire order of a magnitude, was obtained by modification of cotton fabric with DBD and silver ions, where value of resistivity dropped from GΩ to a several dozens of MΩ.