Plasmas can be exploited to alter materials in a number of ways including: removing surface layers; altering the electrical activity of the surface by making it more or less polar; and the deposition of thin films. Such treatments of textiles were examined initially in the 1960s, but without much success. However, in response to the needs of other industries (particularly electronics), the intervening period has seen significant developments in plasma technology; for instance, today's plasmas can contain far higher densities of ionized particles so that a great deal more energy is available for the treatment.
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