Abstract: The high-strength and high-modulus polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers were treated by surface modification with air dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment to improve their hydrophilic properties and chemical activity. The effects of different treatment time of DBD plasma treatment on surface wettability such as surface contact angle and water droplet diffusion speed of high strength and high modulus PVA fibers were studied. The dye adsorption properties of fibers before and after plasma treatment were analyzed by dyeing fibers with reactive dyes. At the same time, the changes of chemical groups and microscopic morphology of the surface before and after fiber treatment were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effects of plasma treatment on the mechanical properties of the fibers were analyzed by a universal material testing machine. Results indicated that the DBD plasma treatment time can effectively improve the wettability of high-strength and high-modulus PVA fiber surface and improve the fiber’s adsorption to dye.

Key words: PVA; plasma; hydrophilic property; dyeing property