Plasma surface treatments and biodegradation of poly(butylene succinate) sheets

The sheets prepared by the extrusion of the melt of poly(butylene succinate ) were treated with inorganic gas plasmas. Bionolle, the commercially avail able polyester, was also used, and the treatment effects were compared. Pla sma susceptibility by the continuous plasma of 13.56 MHz and by pulsed plas mas was evaluated by the weight lass rates by etching. Advancing and recedi ng contact angles of water (theta(a), theta(r)) on the plasma-treated sheet s were obtained by the Wilhelmy method. Decay of hydrophilicity was conside rable in theta(a), but theta(r), was less changed. The biodegradation was e xamined by the preliminary soil-burial tests. The polymer sheets were biolo gically degraded, and the characteristic morphology appeared on the surface according to the SEM observation. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.