Economical Advantages of Low-Pressure Plasma Polymerization Coating

Summary: Low-pressure plasma polymerization coating, as described in this paper, is an ultimately green process that uses a minimum amount of substances and produces a minimum amount of effluent and hence does not require an environmental remediation process. The super-green aspect of the processing entirely changes the equation for the viability of the process in industrial applications. The main hampering factors for the low-pressure processes are 1) psychological fear of vacuum processes, 2) relatively high initial equipment costs, and 3) a lack of adequate cost estimate for the entire process. In many cases, the first two factors are enough for planners to shy away from this promising technology. However, when one examines the overall cost of processing as a whole, the cost of initial equipment often is not the decisive factor. Such cases are presented in the nano-film coating applied in corrosion protection of aluminum alloys, steel, and surface-state modification of contact lenses. The benefits of environmental friendliness, non-hazardous processing and superior performance of products that can be achieved only by low-pressure plasma polymerization coatings are more than enough to compensate the initial cost of the equipment.

For nanofilm (20 nm) coatings, the most expensive annual operation cost is for wastewater treatment, which is much more than the initial cost of vacuum plasma polymerization reactor.