Surface characterization of plasma‐modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) film surfaces

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film surfaces were modified by argon (Ar), oxygen (O₂), hydrogen (H₂), nitrogen (N₂), and ammonia (NH₃) plasmas, and the plasma‐modified PET surfaces were investigated with scanning probe microscopy, contact‐angle measurements, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to characterize the surfaces. The exposure of the PET film surfaces to the plasmas led to the etching process on the surfaces and to changes in the topography of the surfaces. The etching rate and surface roughness were closely related to what kind of plasma was used and how high the radio frequency (RF) power was that was input into the plasmas. The etching rate was in the order of O₂ plasma > H₂ plasma > N₂ plasma > Ar plasma > NH₃ plasma, and the surface roughness was in the order of NH₃ plasma > N₂ plasma > H₂ plasma > Ar plasma > O₂ plasma. Heavy etching reactions did not always lead to large increases in the surface roughness. The plasmas also led to changes in the surface properties of the PET surfaces from hydrophobic to hydrophilic; and the contact angle of water on the surfaces decreased. Modification reactions occurring on the PET surfaces depended on what plasma had been used for the modification. The O₂, Ar, H₂, and N₂ plasmas modified mainly CH₂ or phenyl rings rather than ester groups in the PET polymer chains to form C? O groups. On the other hand, the NH₃ plasma modified ester groups to form C? O groups. Aging effects of the plasma‐modified PET film surfaces continued as long as 15 days after the modification was finished. The aging effects were related to the movement of C?O groups in ester residues toward the topmost layer and to the movement of C? O groups away from the topmost layer. Such movement of the C?O groups could occur within at least 3 nm from the surface. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3727–3740, 2004     

Surface modification of ethylene‐co‐tetrafluoroethylene films by remote plasmas

The surface modifications of ethylene‐co‐tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) surfaces by six plasmas (direct H₂, Ar, and O₂ plasmas and remote H₂, Ar, and O₂ plasmas) were investigated with two questions in mind: (1) what plasma could effectively modify ETFE surfaces and (2) which of the CF₂? CF₂ and CH₂? CH₂ components in ETFE was selectively modified? The plasma exposure led to a weight loss from the ETFE surfaces and changes in the chemical composition on ETFE surfaces. The weight‐loss rate showed a strong dependence on what plasma was used for the modification. The remote H₂ plasma led to the lowest rate of weight loss in the six plasma exposures, and the direct O₂ plasma led to the highest rate of weight loss. During exposure to the plasmas, defluorination occurred, and two new C_1s components [? CH₂? CHF? CH₂? and ? CH₂? CH(O? R)? CF_x? , and ? CH₂? CHF? CF₂? , ? CH₂? C(O)? CF_x? , and ? CF_x? C(O)? O? ] were formed on the modified ETFE surfaces. Defluorination was strongly influenced by what plasma was used for the modification. The remote H₂ and Ar plasmas showed high defluorinations of 55 and 51%, respectively. The remote O₂ plasma showed a low defluorination of only 25%. Conclusively, the remote H₂ and Ar plasma exposure effectively modified ETFE surfaces. With the exposure of these surfaces to the remote H₂ plasma, the CF₂? CF₂ component was predominantly modified, rather than the CH₂? CH₂ component. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2871–2882, 2002     

Highly Efficient Low‐Temperature Plasma‐Assisted Modification of TiO2 Nanosheets with Exposed {001} Facets for Enhanced Visible‐Light Photocatalytic Activity

Anatase TiO₂ nanosheets with exposed {001} facets have been controllably modified under non‐thermal dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma with various working gas, including Ar, H₂, and NH₃. The obtained TiO₂ nanosheets possess a unique crystalline core/amorphous shell structure (TiO₂@TiO_2?x), which exhibit the improved visible and near‐infrared light absorption. The types of dopants (oxygen vacancy/surface Ti³⁺/substituted N) in oxygen‐deficient TiO₂ can be tuned by controlling the working gases during plasma discharge. Both surface Ti³⁺ and substituted N were doped into the lattice of TiO₂ through NH₃ plasma discharge, whereas the oxygen vacancy or Ti³⁺ (along with the oxygen vacancy) was obtained after Ar or H₂ plasma treatment. The TiO₂@TiO_2?x from NH₃ plasma with a green color shows the highest photocatalytic activity under visible‐light irradiation compared with the products from Ar plasma or H₂ plasma due to the synergistic effect of reduction and simultaneous nitridation in the NH₃ plasma.     

Deposition of polysiloxane‐like nanofilms onto an aluminium alloy by plasma polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane: characterization by XPS and contact angle measurements

In this work, aluminium (Alclad 2024‐T3) substrates were cleaned by an r.f. (13.56 MHz) plasma, using argon (Ar), oxygen (O₂) and a mixture of O₂/Ar (50:50) gases. The effectiveness of plasma cleaning was checked in situ using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ex situ using water contact angle measurements. XPS O/Al surface atomic ratios are in excellent agreement with those of the crystalline boehmite and the pseudoboehmite. Oxygen O 1s peak‐fitting was used to quantify the proportion of hydroxyl ions and the functional composition on the aluminium surface: the surface cleaned with O₂ plasma contains 50% of aluminium hydroxides, the ones cleaned with Ar plasma and with Ar/O₂ plasma contain, respectively, 25 and 37% hydroxyl ions. The binding energy separation between Al 2p and O 1s is characteristic of AlO(OH). Thin SiO_x films were subsequently deposited from a mixture of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and oxygen. In the absence of oxygen, a hydrophobic (Θ≥ 100° ) film characteristic of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is formed: polysiloxane‐like thinner films (SiO_x) are obtained with the introduction of oxygen. XPS and contact angle measurements confirmed both the composition and the structure of these films. More importantly, contact angle measurements using different liquids and interpreted with the van Oss‐Good‐Chaudhury theory allowed determination of the surface free energy of the deposited films: the calculated values of surface tension of the film formed from HMDSO/O₂: (50/50) are in excellent agreement with those of reference silica‐based materials such as a silicon wafer and cleaned glass. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface characterization of the SiOx films prepared by a remote atmospheric pressure plasma jet

The deposition rate and surface properties of SiO_x films were prepared and investigated using remote atmospheric pressure plasma (APP) jet. The APP, generated with low frequency power at 16 kHz, was fed with tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)/air gas mixture. After deposition, the SiO_x films were analyzed for chemical characteristics, elemental composition, surface morphology, and hardness. It was found that the deposition substrate temperature is the key factor to affect the deposition rate of remote APP chemical vapor deposition process. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that APP deposited SiO_x films are an inorganic feature. XPS examination revealed that the SiO_x films contained approximately 30% silicon, 58% oxygen and 12% carbon. Atomic forced microscopy (AFM) analysis results indicated a smooth surface of SiO_x films in deposition under higher substrate temperature. Also, pencil hardness tests indicated that the hardness of APP deposited SiO_x films was greatly improved with increasing substrate temperatures. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

2D l‐Di‐toluoyl‐tartaric acid Lanthanide Coordination Polymers: Toward Single‐component White‐Light and NIR Luminescent Materials

A series of five l ‐di‐p‐toluoyl‐tartaric acid (l ‐DTTA) lanthanide coordination polymers, namely {[Ln₄K⁴ L₆(H₂O)_x]?yH₂O}_n, [Ln=Dy ( 1 ), x=24, y=12; Ln=Ho ( 2 ), x=23, y=12; Ln=Er ( 3 ), x=24, y=12; Ln=Yb ( 4 ), x=24, y=11; Ln=Lu ( 5 ), x=24, y=12] have been isolated by simple reactions of H₂L (H₂L= L ‐DTTA) with LnCl₃?6 H₂O at ambient temperature. X‐ray crystallographic analysis reveals that complexes 1 – 5 feature two‐dimensional (2D) network structures in which the Ln³⁺ ions are bridged by carboxylate groups of ligands in two unique coordinated modes. Luminescent spectra demonstrate that complex 1 realizes single‐component white‐light emission, while complexes 2 – 4 exhibit a characteristic near‐infrared (NIR) luminescence in the solid state at room temperature.     

The influence of plasma chemical treatment of a platinum catalyst on its activity in the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane

The influence of plasma chemical treatments on the catalytic activity of 0.64 wt % Pt/SiO₂ and 1.0 wt % Pt/SiO₂ platinum catalysts in the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane was studied. The state of the surface of the catalysts was examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Temperature hysteresis caused by the formation of active carbon was observed in flow experiments. It was shown that the reaction on the initial catalysts occurred on neutral and positively charged Pt particles, and that the active centers contained carbon. After catalyst treatment with a high-frequency plasma in H₂, its activity increased by many times because of the formation of a large number of low-activity centers on positively charged platinum particles also containing carbon. Glow discharge plasma in Ar sharply decreased catalytic activity, and the reaction then predominantly occurred on centers localized on neutral Pt particles, whereas centers on positive Pt particles were blocked. The state of the substrate (silica gel) did not change under the action of plasmas of both kinds.     

Modification of polysulfone membranes 4. Ammonia plasma treatment

The effect of NH₃ and NH₃/Ar plasma on ultrafiltration polysulfone membranes have been studied. Results of contact angle, FTIR-ATR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments clearly showed that both plasmas introduced hydrophilic, nitrogen- and oxygen-containing moieties on the polymer surface and that NH₃/Ar plasma was more efficient. That plasma was also more aggressive--signs of strong etching could be seen on the SEM pictures. Redeposition of etched material seemed to take place inside the pores. On the contrary, ammonia plasma was soft and caused cleaning the surface and pores enlargement. Performance of ammonia plasma modified membranes was greatly improved and independent on solution pH. The last observation proved amphoteric character of the surface. NH₃/Ar plasma treatment gave membranes of acidic surface and filtration indices not so good as for ammonia plasma.     

Room‐Temperature and Aqueous‐Phase Synthesis of Plasmonic Molybdenum Oxide Nanoparticles for Visible‐Light‐Enhanced Hydrogen Generation

A straightforward aqueous synthesis of MoO_3?x nanoparticles at room temperature was developed by using (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄?4 H₂O and MoCl₅ as precursors in the absence of reductants, inert gas, and organic solvents. SEM and TEM images indicate the as‐prepared products are nanoparticles with diameters of 90–180 nm. The diffuse reflectance UV‐visible‐near‐IR spectra of the samples indicate localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties generated by the introduction of oxygen vacancies. Owing to its strong plasmonic absorption in the visible‐light and near‐infrared region, such nanostructures exhibit an enhancement of activity toward visible‐light catalytic hydrogen generation. MoO_3?x nanoparticles synthesized with a molar ratio of Mo^VI/Mo^V 1:1 show the highest yield of H₂ evolution. The cycling catalytic performance has been investigated to indicate the structural and chemical stability of the as‐prepared plasmonic MoO_3?x nanoparticles, which reveals its potential application in visible‐light catalytic hydrogen production.     

Preparation of uniform and nano‐sized NaA zeolite using silatrane and alumatrane precursors

Nano‐sized Na A zeolite was successfully synthesized via the sol–gel process and microwave techniques. The synthesis parameters, such as hydroxide ion concentration, seed amount, as well as heating time and temperature, were studied to obtain the most uniform and very small sized NaA zeolite using the composition of SiO₂:Al₂O₃:xNa₂O:410H₂O; 3 ≤ x ≤ 6. It was found that hydroxide ion concentration affects the crystal size and heating time, whereas a higher amount of seed provides smaller sized NaA zeolite. The zeolite product can be synthesized using a higher temperature for a shorter time or lower temperature for a longer time. The best conditions for synthesizing the smallest size, 0.1–0.2 µm, and the most homogeneous NaA zeolite is to use the composition of SiO₂:Al₂O₃:3Na₂O:410H₂O and 3 wt% crystal seed at 80 °C microwave heating for 6 h. The synthesized NaA zeolite was characterized using XRD and SEM. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Typical data of a new microporous material obtained from gels with titanium and silicon

The aim of this work is the synthesis and the characterization of a microporous material obtained from gels with titanium and silicon: NTS (titanosilicate). The structure of NTS zeotype is similar to that of AM-1 and JDF-L1 (titanosilicates). The synthesis were carried out with gels of composition: 3.5Na₂O–yTiO₂–4.48HCl–xSiO₂–110H₂O with 1.0≤x≤12.0 and 0.2≤y≤0.7. The temperature of reaction was 190±2°C.     

Double complexes [Co(NH3)5(H2O)]2[Zr3F18]·6H2O and [Co(NH3)6]2[Zr3F18]·6H2O

The structures of orthorhombic bis[pentaammineaquacobalt(III)] tetra‐μ₂‐fluorido‐tetradecafluoridotrizirconium(IV) hexahydrate (space group Ibam), [Co(NH₃)₅(H₂O)]₂[Zr₃F₁₈]·6H₂O, (I), and bis[hexaamminecobalt(III)] tetra‐μ₂‐fluorido‐tetradecafluoridotrizirconium(IV) hexahydrate (space group Pnna), [Co(NH₃)₆]₂[Zr₃F₁₈]·6H₂O, (II), consist of complex [Co(NH₃)_x(H₂O)_y]³⁺ cations with either m [in (I)] or and 2 [in (II)] symmetry, [Zr₃F₁₈]⁶⁻ anionic chains located on sites with 222 [in (I)] or 2 [in (II)] symmetry, and water molecules.     

Effects of Ar‐ and Ar/O2‐plasma‐treated amorphous and crystalline polymer surfaces revealed by ToF‐SIMS and principal component analysis

The effects of argon (Ar) and a mixture of Ar and oxgyen(Ar/O₂) plasmas on amorphous and semi‐crystalline poly(bisphenol A hexane ether) thin films were investigated by time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF‐SIMS) and principal component analysis (PCA). PCA results of the ToF‐SIMS spectra indicate that an Ar/O₂ plasma produced less physical sputtering and had a higher chemical reactivity than did an Ar plasma, regardless of whether an amorphous or a crystalline surface was involved. However, the chemical differences between the Ar‐ and Ar/O₂‐plasma‐treated semi‐crystalline films were much smaller. The observed results can be explained by the higher resistance of the polymer crystalline regions to physical sputtering and chemical etching. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anchoring transitions of liquid crystals on SiO x

Anchoring transitions were observed of nematic liquid crystal (LC) mixtures on obliquely evaporated SiO _x by varying the relative abundance of two components in the mixture. Of these two components, one has a longitudinal cyano group and another has lateral cyano groups. It was also found that both temperature and SiO _x thickness variations are able to shift the anchoring transitions. The anchoring on SiO _x has two origins: long‐range van der Waals potential and short‐range surface interactions. Since the two origins have opposite preference in LC director orientation the observed transition is caused by the change of their relative strength. Thermal absorption–desorption of molecules on SiO _x surface is important in determining the strength of short‐range interactions, whereas the layer thickness and optical properties of SiO _x are dependent on the van der Waals potential. Based on previous work by de Gennes we propose a model to describe the observed phenomenon.     

A Flame‐Reaction Method for the Large‐Scale Synthesis of High‐Performance SmxCoy Nanomagnets

We report a flame‐reaction method to synthesize high‐performance Sm_xCo_y (x=1, y=5; x=2, y=17) particles on a multigram scale. This flame reaction allows the controlled decomposition of Sm(NO₃)₃ and Co(NO₃)₂ to 320 nm SmCo‐O (SmCoO₃ + Co₃O₄) particles. A 5.8 g sample of SmCo_3.8‐O particles was coated with CaO and then reduced at 900 °C by Ca to give 4.2 g of 260 nm SmCo₅ particles. The SmCo₅ particles are strongly ferromagnetic and the aligned particles in epoxy resin exhibit a large room‐temperature coercivity (H_c) of 41.8 kOe and giant (BH)_max (maximum magnetic energy product) of 19.6 MGOe, the highest value ever reported for SmCo₅ made by chemical methods. This synthesis can be extended to synthesize Sm₂Co₁₇ particles, providing a general approach to scaling up the synthesis of high‐performance Sm_xCo_y nanomagnets for permanent magnet applications.     

The interaction of hydrogen and ammonia plasmas with polymethacrylic esters,studied by static secondary ions mass spectrometry

The interactions of H₂ and NH₃ plasmas with the surfaces of various poly(alkylmethacrylate)s and of poly(phenylmethacrylate) have been studied with XPS and SSIMS. Experiments on poly(methylmethacrylate) reveal that during short treatment times with the NH₃ plasma chain, scission takes place and nitrogen is not incorporated into the surface. The chain scission also takes place with the H₂ plasma. With the aid of SSIMS results, the nature of the chain scission could be deduced. Comparison of these results with those on poly(n-butylmethacrylate) and poly(t-butylmethacrylate) reveals a reaction mechanism in which hydrogen atoms generated in both plasmas play an important role in the chain scission process. After longer treatment time with the NH₃ plasma, the poly(methylmethacrylate) surface becomes deoxygenated and nitrogen is incorporated into surface structures of low molecular weight. Experiments on poly(phenylmethacrylate) reveal that already during short treatment times with the NH₃ plasma, nitrogen is incorporated into the aromatic ring. Chain scission does not play an important role. One of the processes with the H₂ plasma is hydrogenation of the aromatic ring, leading to poly(cyclohexylmethacrylate).     

Adsorption properties of crystalline silicas: (II) Adsorption of anionic surfactants and delamination

Lamellar crystalline silicas (crystalline silicic acids, chemical composition SiO₂·xH₂O; examples: H₄Si₁₄O₃₀·xH₂O, H₄Si₂₀O₄₂·xH₂O) are distinguished from the amorphous forms by their layered structure and exceptional adsorption properties. One outstanding example is the reaction with anionic surfactants. Several types of crystalline silicas (typical H₄Si₂₀O₄₂·xH₂O) can intercalate ionic pairs consisting of surfactant anion and gegen ion into the interlayer space. The saturation value of SDS adsorption is 0.475 mmol SDS/g H₄Si₂₀O₄₂·3H₂O. The acid H₄Si₁₄O₃₀·xH₂O adsorbs anionic surfactants at the external surfaces only (saturation value 0.04 mmol/g H₄Si₁₄O₃₀·0.8 H₂O). When anionic surfactants are adsorbed in the interlayer space, the layer separation increases to such an extent that the crystals disarticulate in a fan-like manner or delaminate into thinner packets of layers or smaller aggregates. Washing-out the SDS ionic pairs or drying reconstitutes the parallel layer orientation and leads to re-aggregation of the packets and fragments.     

Reactive adsorption of hydrogen sulfide by promoted sorbents Cu‐ZnO/SiO2: active sites by experiment and simulation

In the Cu_x‐Zn_(1‐x)O/SiO₂ sorbents for ultradeep adsorptive removal of H₂S from gaseous fuel reformates for fuel cells at room temperature, Cu promoter sites significantly increase sulfur uptake capacity of the sorbents. We report characterization of the family of Cu_x‐Zn_(1‐x)O/SiO₂ sorbents for reactive adsorption of H₂S using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface area analysis, electron spin resonance (ESR), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and calculations by the density functional theory (DFT). Both the supported ZnO phase and Cu promoter sites in the Cu_x‐Zn_(1‐x)O/SiO₂ sorbents are nano‐dispersed, as shown by XRD. The Cu_x‐Zn_(1‐x)O/SiO₂ sorbents contain Cu promoter as the Cu²⁺ site of octahedral geometry, as found by the complementary ESR and UV–vis DRS. Mechanism of the promoter effect of the Cu²⁺ site in the Cu_x‐Zn_(1‐x)O/SiO₂ sorbents in reaction with H₂S is proposed based on DFT calculations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and physicochemical study of nanocrystalline magnesium-containing calcium hydroxylapatites and chitosan

The interaction in the CaCl₂-MgCl₂-(NH₄)₂HPO₄-NH₃-H₂O and CaCl₂-MgCl₂-(NH₄)₂HPO₄-(C₆H₁₁NO₄) _n -NH₃-H₂O systems at 25°C has been investigated by the solubility (Tananaev’s residual concentration) method and by pH measurements. Magnesium-containing calcium hydroxylapatites with the general formula Mg _x Ca_{10 − x} (PO₄)₆(OH)₂ · nH₂O (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3; n = 6–7.3) and magnesium- and chitosan-containing calcium hydroxylapatites with the general formula Mg _x Ca_{10 − x} (PO₄)₆(OH)₂ · y(C₆H₁₁NO₄) · nH₂O (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3; y = 0.1, 0.3, 0.46; n = 6–8.3) have been isolated in the nanocrystalline state. The solids have been characterized by chemical and thermogravimetric analyses, X-ray diffraction, and IR spectroscopy.     

Molecular and supramolecular ionic aggregates HxOyz in organic and organometallic crystalline hydrates

Ionic aggregates of the form H_xO_y^z (z≠ 0) have been characterized during an analysis of 245 crystal structures extracted from the Cambridge Structural Database [Allen (2002). Acta Cryst. B 58 , 380–388]. A systematic nomenclature is proposed for these species. Three modes of hydrogen bonding are described, characterized in part by the distance between contiguous O atoms: normal (NHB; O...O = 2.6–3.0 Å), charge assisted (CAHB; O...O = 2.5 Å) and molecular (MHB; O...O = 2.4 Å). The three modes are consistent with previous reports, our experimental results, and quantum‐chemical‐optimized geometries and energetics. No evidence is presented concerning the possible existence or stability of these aggregates in solution. Rather, emphasis is placed on the necessity in crystal structure analysis to develop thoroughly existing hydrogen‐bonded networks, ignorance of which can lead to erroneous crystal structure models and other physico‐chemical data associated with composition and charge balance.