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In this article, expanded poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (e-PTFE) membrane surface modification was carried out using acetylene/nitrogen plasma treatment (p-e-PTFE). The variation in surface morphology of the p-e-PTFE membranes was confirmed by FTIR-ATR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and contact angle measurements. It was found that the surface hydrophilicity increased with increasing nitrogen content in the feed gas mixture, RF power, and plasma treatment time. The surface pore size decreased with increasing RF power and plasma treatment time. The water contact angles of the modified e-PTFE membrane decreased from 125.8° to 34.1° through the acetylene/nitrogen plasma treatment.

An SiO x C y H z /mixed cellulose ester (MCE) composite membrane was fabricated by plasma deposition of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) monomer on the surface of an MCE substrate. The purpose is to apply the membrane for the oxygen enrichment of an O 2 /N 2 mixture. The variation in the fine structure of the plasma-polymerized layers (SiO x C y H z ) prepared at different plasma conditions was identified using slow-positron beams. Although the SiO x C y H z layers displayed similar FTIR spectra, they evidently showed differences based on the data from Doppler broadening energy spectroscopy (DBES) and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). These data indicated distinct differences in the physical structure despite the similarities in the chemical structure of the films. The deposited layer (mixture of HMDSO species and MCE species) had more hydrocarbon group, resulting in a looser structure of the deposited layer at the initial period of plasma deposition. However, the MCE species content of the deposited layer decreased with the deposition time, and the deposited layer became denser. From PALS, the o -Ps lifetime ( τ 3 , corresponding to the free-volume size) decreased along the plasma deposition layer growth direction. These results corresponded with those obtained from XPS very well. The plasma-deposited membrane was applied for O 2 /N 2 separation. The O 2 permeability decreased and the concentration of O 2 in the permeate increased with the deposition time and as the plasma power increased.