Direct plasma treatment approach based on non-thermal gliding arc for surface modification of biaxially-oriented polypropylene with post-exposure hydrophilicity improvement and minus aging effects

[Display omitted] •Non-thermal gliding arc plasma was employed for surface modification of BOPP.•Wettability studies indicated progressive hydrophilicity improvement after plasma exposure.•Prolonging aging time of the treated surface for 35 days increased O/C ratio by 50%.•Surface crystallinity altered as a consequence of plasma-enabled chain reorientations.•Surface crosslinking played an essential role in the minus aging behavior. Aging phenomenon or hydrophobic recovery of plasma-treated surfaces is a major concern in various fields of application. Post-plasma decay of treatment level can lead to problems such as delamination and incompatibility. Considerable work has been done to understand the fundamental mechanisms of aging, from which several approaches have been developed to tackle it. Most of the released solutions require additional and further steps after or before the plasma exposure to stabilize the treatment level and prevent its downfall. This per se causes process difficulties and increases production costs. Herein, a single-step gliding arc plasma-based method is investigated for modification of biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP). Findings approved post-treatment progressive hydrophilicity improvement in this method. Surface characteristics’ alterations were assessed instantly after the treatment and with intervals during five weeks via ATR-FTIR, XPS, AFM, FESEM, GIXRD, and contact angle measurement (static and dynamic) in order to explain the plasma effects and aging findings. Results indicated that this treatment approach could make a significant contribution to the field of plasma surface treatment via introducing a feasible and fast method that can be carried out in a single step and at the atmospheric pressure with minus aging effects and without the unfavorable hydrophobic recovery phenomenon.