The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 12, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 23, 2000
Dong Zhang, Knoxville, TN (US);
Paul D. Spence, Greenville, SC (US);
Qin Sun, Knoxville, TN (US);
Larry C. Wadsworth, Knoxville, TN (US);
The University of Tennessee Research Corporation, Knoxville, TN (US);
Abstract
Hydrophobic polymer materials having improved dyeability with water-based dyes are prepared by treating a hydrophobic polymer with aglow discharge plasma generated from working gases selected from SO , O , N , He, H , CO , CF , NO, N O, 2-Hydroxypropyl Methacrylate (HPMA), air or combinations thereof, in which a treated material comprises a hydrophobic inner core and a hydrophilic outer sheath having polar functional groups. A method of treating hydrophobic polymer materials using a glow discharge plasma, preferably at high pressure (e.g., about 50 Torr or greater), thereby modifying the active surface characteristics of the polymer to contain polar functional groups is also presented.