Plasma, Corona and UV-Ozone Treatment of Photopolymer Surfaces: Functionalisation, Ageing, Contamination and Bond Performance

Plasma, corona and UV-ozone treatment can change a polymer surface within seconds, but the treatment name does not define the surface delivered to a bonding operation. Gas composition, power coupling, source-to-surface geometry, exposure, temperature and the printed part's wash and post-cure history influence oxidation, chain scission, crosslinking, contaminant removal, roughening and the formation of mobile low-molecular-weight material. The resulting state can then change through hydrophobic recovery, migration, adsorption and handling before a coating or adhesive is applied. This review defines a qualification architecture for already polymerised photocurable surfaces. It separates treatment identity from delivered dose and surface state; treats wettability, chemistry, morphology and bond performance as non-equivalent evidence layers; requires the activation-to-bond delay and storage environment to be controlled; and pairs mechanical response with failure locus and conditioning. The evidence is drawn from atmospheric-plasma, UVC, UV-ozone and UV-digital-printing studies on polymers, with thermoplastic and extrusion-printing evidence used only as adjacent mechanistic support. It does not establish a universal process, dose, contact-angle target, activation lifetime, bond-strength threshold or service-life claim.