SiOx-Based Gas Barrier Coatings for Polymer Substrates by Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Deposition

An efficient way to increase the gas barrier properties of polymers is the development of silica barrier coatings; in fact inorganic barrier layers like SiNx and SiOx, usually obtained by PECVD, can decrease the gas permeation through polymeric substrates by several orders of magnitude. Nevertheless, the known costs of vacuum systems and in-line processing needs have generated increasing interest to develop atmospheric condition alternatives. In this work results on deposition of SiOx on thin layers obtained by an atmospheric plasma jet as well as results on the gas permeation behaviour are presented. Obtained results, on the thickness and composition of the coatings, are evaluated under several deposition conditions.