4.3.6.2 Corona Discharge
4.3.6.2 Corona Discharge
In a corona discharge process, a hard-to-bond plastic is exposed to an electrical discharge, usually in the presence of air and at atmospheric pressure, which creates a plasma ‘field’. This roughens the surface, which provides sites for mechanical interlocking and introduces reactive sites on the plastic’s surface, consequently increasing the wettability and reactivity of the surface. The reactive functionalities, which are theorised to be introduced to the surface, may include carbonyl, hydroxyl, hydroperoxide, aldehyde, ether, ester and carboxylic acid groups, as well as unsaturated bonds.