Plastics, i.e. polypropylene or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) are homopolar and do not bond easily. Plasmas afford an effective surface activation pre-treatement prior to printing, lacquering or gluing. Glass and ceramics can be plasma activated similarly. Technical oxygen is usually used as the process gas, however, many plasma activations can also be carried out with just ambient air. Parts remain active for a few minutes up to several months, depending on the particular material that has been plasma treated. Polypropylene for example can still be reprocessed several weeks after treatment.
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When a polymer or elastomer is treated in an inert gas or a non-carbon containing gas such as oxygen, ammonia or nitrous oxide to name few, the primary result is the incorporation of different moieties of the process gas onto the surface of the material being treated. For example, the surface of polyethylene normally consists solely of carbon and hydrogen; however, in an appropriate plasma the surface may be "activated" to contain a variety of functional groups including but not limited to hydroxyl, carbonyl, peroxyl, carboxylic, amino and amines. Almost any polymer or elastomer surface may be modified providing chemical functionality to specific adhesives or coatings thus significantly enhancing the adhesion characteristics and permanency
