Surface Charging by the Cold Plasma Discharge of Lentil and Pepper Seeds in Comparison with Polymers

Cold plasma treatment charges organic surfaces. Surface density of the electrical charge supplied by cold radiofrequency plasma to the pepper and lentil seeds and various polymers: polyethylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate and poly(methyl methacrylate) was established experimentally. The surface charge density for all of studied interfaces, with one exception of polycarbonate was estimated as σ≈0.75-3.7μC/m; for the polycarbonate it was almost an order of magnitude larger, namely σ≈7-9μC/m. The kinetics of the surface charge leakage was studied. The characteristic time of temporal change in the surface density of the electrical charge gained by the seeds is markedly larger than that of synthetic polymers.