In-situ diagnostic of polypropylene degradation by electrical discharge induced luminescence at room temperature

Abstract

Cold electrical discharges or plasma are widely used to modify polymer properties whereas long interaction can lead to polymer degradation. Discharges are also commonly used to charge dielectric materials in order to study charge storage capabilities of the material and its evolution with time, using as example surface potential measurement. The interest of plasma-induced luminescence (PIL) technique would be to develop a new in-situ diagnostic of discharge-polymer interaction. The aim of the present work is to determine the way a plasma created by a cold electrical discharge can induce polymer luminescence at room temperature and how this PIL can be used for the diagnostic of polymer surface transformations and degradation.