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Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment of Steel Buoys for Wave Energy Converters
Author(s) -
Bárdos Ladislav,
Baránková Hana
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
plasma processes and polymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.644
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1612-8869
pISSN - 1612-8850
DOI - 10.1002/ppap.201100015
Subject(s) - plasma , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , materials science , contact angle , atmospheric pressure plasma , surface energy , corrosion , spectral line , plasma cleaning , adhesion , composite material , analytical chemistry (journal) , metallurgy , chemistry , physics , environmental chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Steel sheets used for ocean buoys in the linear wave energy converters have been treated by cold atmospheric plasmas in Ar, Ne, and the wet air. The contact angle has decreased from about 48° at an untreated surface to a minimum of about 24°, depending on the plasma and the treatment time. This corresponds to an increase of the surface energy from about 57 to 69 mN/m. Comparison of the XPS spectra before and after plasma treatment confirmed important role of the plasma activated oxygen. The hydrophilicity of treated surfaces deteriorates within about 120 min. Immediate painting of treated surfaces has lead to considerable better paint adhesion than on untreated surfaces. The plasma treatment of buoys before painting is, therefore, expected to improve their corrosion resistance and lifetime.