The combination of an atmospheric pressure plasma afterglow operated in air with wet grafting was utilized for the immobilization of chitosan on the surface of polypropylene foil. The plasma treatment results in a local modification of polymer surface along the sample axis with a modified zone of width 2 cm.
Moreover, plasma treatment initiates etching and melting of the polymer on micro-level. Processing in combination with chitosan solution in-line prevents thermal effects and results in the formation of island-like chitosan structures.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) reveal the presence of chemical groups typical for chitosan structure.