A Study on Silk Surface Modification with Carbon Tetrafluoride Low Temperature Plasma

Silk surface modification is carried out with carbon tetrafluoride low temperature (CF4 LT) plasma. The water contact angle of the CF4 plasma treated silk fabric reaches 140°. The morphological construction of the treated surfaces is examined by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and surface chemical changes are characterized by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The results reveal that F-contained groups (C-F) have been grafted on the surface of silk fabric. Through the thermal gravity analyzer (TGA), it is shown that the heat stability of the modified silk is improved.