Improvement of hydrophilic properties of electrospun polyamide-imide fibrous mats by atmospheric-pressure plasma treatment

Polyamide-imide (PAI) fibrous mats were fabricated through electrospinning and further treated with atmospheric-pressure plasma. The surface characteristics of the PAI fibrous mats were examined to determine the effect of plasma treatment on the hydrophilic properties. FT-IR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact-angle analysis indicated that the hydrophilicity of the PAI fibrous mats increased upon the introduction of hydrophilic groups by plasma treatment. The concentration of functional groups, including oxygen, and the surface roughness of the PAI fibrous mats increased with increasing treatment time. The optimum plasma treatment time for surface modification of the PAI fibrous mats under atmospheric pressure was 120 s.