In present research, polypropylene (PP) was selected as a model nonpolar substrate for chemical modification using plasma. In the first step, the PP samples were treated using oxygen and argon atmospheres, individually. The prepared samples were analyzed using both FTIR and AFM techniques. The output of these techniques revealed that the carbonyl, carboxylic acid and its derivatives have been formed on the surface of PP. Afterward, a series of aqueous polyurethane-urea dispersions were synthesized as the novel polar coating for modified nonpolar polymers and characterized by different techniques including FTIR, DSC, TGA, mechanical properties and contact angle. Finally, the plasma treated samples were coated by prepared polyurethane ionomer. The results of pull-off analysis confirmed the significant role of the polyurethane as an extremely polar coating to create hydrogen bonding with functional groups on the surface of treated PP. The adhesion strength of polypropylenes increased from 0.04 MPa to 0.61 MPa for neat and oxygen-based plasma treated samples, respectively. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.