Surface modification of natural leather using diffuse ambient air plasma

The aim of this work was to activate the surface of dyed natural leather using a diffuse ambient air plasma treatment. The plasma was generated by the so-called diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD). It was observed that a 10 s plasma treatment time is enough to decrease the water contact angle from 85° to 45°. Improvement of wettability is important for gluing of dyed leather and better adhesion of glue to leather parts. XPS study indicated that the percentage of oxygen-containing bonds responsible for hydrophilicity is significantly increased by the plasma treatment. Influence of the plasma treatment on mechanical properties of dyed leather was evaluated using tensile strength measurement and no significant changes in the surface morphology and mechanical properties were observed. The results indicate that the DCSBD technique can provide high throughput, technical simplicity and economy required by the leather industry.