Active screen plasma system applied to polymer surface modification: poly(lactic acid) surface activation before polyaniline graft polymerization in aqueous medium

An active screen plasma system (ASPS) was used for the surface activation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a pretreatment before the oxidative graft polymerization of polyaniline (PANI). In ASPS, the plasma glow discharge occurs outside the grid, and the samples to be treated are placed inside the cage where they are subjected to a floating potential (about −12 V). An increase in hydrophilicity was observed for all samples after Ar plasma treatment. In addition, a decrease in thermal stability and changes in crystallization behavior were observed for PLA samples treated for a longer time. After PANI graft polymerization, smoothing of the surface topography was noticed in samples treated for short time periods. Such a change in the topography, in addition to surface activation, provides better conditions for subsequent PANI grafting.