Plasma technology comes to the processing of plastics
Plasma technology plays a role pioneered the modern technology of semiconductors and has achieved recognition from many other areas of high technology. Currently plasma processes are becoming increasingly important in the field of plastics processing. Applications include the lining of moulds of compression and machine components, as well as the finish of plastic substrates. However, usually in the development of new coating systems used empirical methods and this means that the basic principles related to the interaction between plasmas of high-performance and technical surfaces are often not available.
With the help of two examples of application used in plastics processing, on the one hand, the lining of components of machine with parting agent and wear-resistant layers, and on the other hand, the development of flexible barrier thermoplastic coatingthe team will strive to meet the gaps of knowledge on the relationship between plasma parameters and characteristics of the coatings, and use the results in process controls based on the diagnosis.
SFB, with an initial funding for four years, is divided into three fields of research. The first covers the coating on metallic substrates for applications systems tribological (area of A project), the second focuses on the new functional coatings in order to improve the barrier effect of plastic substrates (area of project B), and the third will serve as a support for the two first fields contributing studies on the elementary principles of the processes of plasma (Project C area).
In close cooperation with its partners, the IKV held investigations in two sub-projects within the area of project B: deposition on a large scale the barrier coating tolerant to deformation on PET films and, based on the example of polypropylene (PP)the influence of properties of materials, for example, internal tensions and trends, on the plasma process.
SFB will bring together scientists from all fields of Physics of plasma, technology of plasma, plastics processing, materials science, materials engineering, mechanical and chemical engineering of interfaces. All of them will study the influence and the potential of the plasmas of high-performance, from the atom in the gas phase until the characteristics of performance of the new systems of theoretically designed materials.
The participating institutes in SFB/TRR 87 are as follows:
- Ruhr University, Bochum (RUB)
- Research Group on reactive Plasmas (www.reaktiveplasmen.rub.de)
- Institute of Physics Experimental II / physics of the plasma (AOP) (www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/ep2)-oriented application
- Institute of electrical engineering and technology of Plasma (www.aept.ruhr-uni-bochum.de)
- Institute of electrical engineering theoretical (www.tet.rub.de)
- Department of materials for Microtechnology (www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/wdm)
- RWTH Aachen University
- Plastics processing Institute (IKV) (www.ikv-aachen.de)
- Surface Engineering Institute (IOT) (www.iot.rwth-aachen.de)
- Chemistry of materials (MCh) (www.mch.rwth-aachen.de)
- University of Paderborn
- Chemical engineering and chemistry Macromolecular (TMC) (www.chemie.uni-paderborn.de)
