Abstract: A method of coating a substrate in an electrical discharge plasma, which comprises establishing a zone of electrical glow discharge plasma in a gaseous medium comprising at least about 25%, by weight, of water vapor, based on the total weight of the gaseous medium, and exposing said substrate to said plasma in said zone then exposing the substrate to an ethylenically unsaturated monomer whereby the monomer is grafted onto the substrate.

Abstract: An electrical plasma discharge is established between adjacent tubular electrodes of an electrode structure having a stacked array of rows of tubular electrodes of opposite polarity row-by-row. A substrate is moved through the electrode structure along several paths of travel such that the electrical plasma discharge is substantially parallel to one or both surfaces of the moving substrate. During the electrical discharge, the electrodes are cooled by flowing coolant therethrough.

Abstract: Process and apparatus for bonding shaped members without the use of an adhesive, comprising the steps of exposing the surfaces to be bonded to the low energy particles of a gas discharge plasma just before and substantially simultaneously as the members are brought together into intimate face-to-face contact; heating the members; and then compressing the heated members together. The process is applicable to bonding a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene or ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer to a wide variety of materials including cellophane, polyester or aluminum foil.