Abstract: In this work mica powder was treated with n-butyl aldehyde plasma of radio frequency. Then the apparent contact angle of different liquids on the powder was determined by measuring the penetration rate of the liquid through the packed powder. The surface tension of mica powder and interface tension between the powder and typical linear macromolecules were calculated from the data of contact angle obtained under Fowkes' assumption. Rationalized conclusions were as follows: (i) For polar liquids, wetting of treated mica is more difficult than the untreated one and for nonpolar liquids, no difference has been observed. (ii) The surface tension of mica powder drops from 41.34 (N·m~(-1)·10~(-3)) to 31.51 after 5 min plasma treatment and to 25.59 (N·m~(-1)·10~(-3)) after 30 min plasma treatment. (iii) The polar component of interface tension between the mica powder and any linear macromolecule monotonically decreases with the time of plasma treating. However, the whole interface tension changes after plasma treatment, depending on the polymer used.

Key words: n-butyl aldehyde plasma, Surface, Interface, Fillers