Surface modification of HDPE, PP, and PET films with KMnO4/HCl solutions

Surface modification of high-density-polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films was promoted by potassium permanganate solutions in HCl acidic medium using eight conditions by varying time, temperature, and oxidative solution concentration. This oxidation system introduced different amounts of carbonyl-carboxyl and hydroxyl groups onto the polymer surfaces. Drop water contact angle, FTIR, TGA, and SEM were used to assess oxidation efficiency and the surface changes suffered by the polymer film. The hydrophilicity of films obtained by contact angle was analyzed using a 23 factorial design in Design-Expert® program to obtain the main effects, the variance, and the interaction between the effects in action in the oxidation process.