What is a plasma cleaner used for?

Cleaning with a plasma cleaner is one of the more common methods of plasma surface modification.

(1) Etching of material surfaces by plasma cleaners: physical action

Large numbers of ions, excited-state molecules, free radicals and other active particles in the plasma act on the surface of the solid sample. This not only removes the original contaminants and impurities from the surface but also produces an etching effect that roughens the sample surface and forms many fine pits, increasing the specific surface area of the sample and improving the wettability of the solid surface.

(2) Plasma cleaners activate bond energy: crosslinking

The energy of particles in plasma is 0~20eV, while most bond energies in polymers are 0~10eV. Therefore, when plasma acts on a solid surface, it can break the original chemical bonds on the solid surface, and free radicals in the plasma form a network crosslinked structure with these bonds, greatly activating the surface.

(3) Plasma cleaners form new functional groups: chemical action

If a reactive gas is introduced into the discharge gas, complex chemical reactions take place on the activated material surface, introducing new functional groups such as hydrocarbyl, amino and carboxyl groups. These functional groups are all active groups and can significantly increase the surface activity of the material.