Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Discharge for Polysiloxane Thin Films Deposition and Comparison with Low Pressure Process

An atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier plasma discharge has been used to study a thin film deposition process. The DBD device is enclosed in a vacuum chamber and one of the electrodes is a rotating cylinder. Thus, this device is able to simulate continuous processing in arbitrary deposition condition of pressure and atmosphere composition. A deposition process of thin organosilicon films has been studied reproducing a nitrogen atmosphere with small admixtures of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) vapours. The plasma discharge has been characterized with optical emission spectroscopy and voltage-current measurements. Thin films chemical composition and morphology have been characterized with FTIR spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements. A strong dependency of deposit character from the HMDSO concentration has been found and then compared with the same dependency of a typical low pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition process.     

Surface Modification of Banana Fibers by DBD Plasma Treatment

Banana fibers, an environmentally friendly raw material freely available, were physically modified by atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatment of different dosages. The influence of the plasma treatment applied on the banana fibers was performed considering the mechanical properties, wettability, chemical composition and surface morphology. These properties were evaluated by tensile tests, static and dynamic contact angle, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, conductivity and pH of aqueous extract, differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy images. We compare untreated and treated fibers with three different DBD plasma dosages. The results of this study showed considerable modifications in banana fibers when these are submitted to plasma treatment.     

Modification of Polyimide in Barrier Discharge Air-Plasmas: Chemical and Morphological Effects

Chemical and physical modifications of polyimide (PI) surfaces caused by an air plasma have been studied. The plasma-induced surface changes of PI were investigated by using a local dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in air at atmospheric pressure and room temperature as a function of the plasma exposure time and plasma power, while the excitation frequency was kept constant at about 130 kHz. The first results obtained in this work suggest that DBDs operating in air at atmospheric pressure can be an efficient alternative plasma source for surface treatment of polymers: a short time air plasma treatment of few seconds leads to chemical and physical changes including the rise of wettability, surface oxidation, and enhancement of surface roughness. Therefore, this simple kind of dry surface treatment seems to be an effective, low cost method for production of well-adhering subsequent layers such as metal films, paints, glues, etc. on DBD pretreated polymers.     

Surface modification of acrylate intraocular lenses with dielectric barrier discharge plasma at atmospheric pressure

Surface modification with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma was carried out at atmospheric pressure (argon as the discharge gas) to improve the biocompatibility of hydrophobic acrylate intraocular lens (IOL). Changes of the plasma-treated IOL surface in chemical composition, morphology and hydrophilicity were comprehensively evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and water contact angle (WCA) measurements. The surface biocompatibility of the untreated and plasma-treated IOLs was compared with the adhesion behavior of platelets, macrophages and lens epithelial cells (LECs) in vitro. After DBD plasma treatment, the hydrophilicity of the IOL surface was obviously improved. The changes in WCA with treatment extension may be attributed to both the introduction of oxygen or/and nitrogen-containing polar groups and the increase of surface roughness induced by plasma etching effect. The existence of low molecular weight oxidized material (LMWOM) was proved on the plasmatreated IOL which was caused by the chain scission effect of the plasma treatment. The plasma-treated IOLs resisted the adhesion of platelets and macrophages significantly. The LECs spreading and proliferation were postponed on the IOLs plasma-treated for more than 180 s, with a well maintained epithelial phenotype of LECs. The IOL biocompatibility was improved after the DBD plasma treatment. We speculate that slighter foreign-body reaction and later incidence of anterior capsule opacification (ACO) may be expected after implantation of the argon DBD plasma-treated IOL. Supported by the Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2004C23003)     

Silicon Dioxide Coating of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles from Dielectric Barrier Discharge in a Gaseous Mixture of Silane and Nitrogen

The coating of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with silicon dioxide has been carried out by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma treatments to enhance the thermostability of Titania for applications at high temperature processes. During the first coating processing step, a closed film of silicon nitride was produced via plasma treatment in a gaseous mixture of silane and nitrogen, while atmospheric surface contaminations got mainly removed. In the second processing step, the DBD plasma treatment in oxygen or air was used to convert the silicon nitride mainly into silicon dioxide. Remaining carbon impurities at the interfaces between titanium dioxide and silicon nitride after the nitrogen/silane plasma treatment were subsequently removed simultaneously. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to study the DBD plasma treatments of the TiO₂ nanoparticles.     

Hydrophilization of porous polyethylene films by cold plasma of different types

Porous PE films have been modified using high-frequency discharge plasma (in air) and dielectric surface barrier discharge plasma in static (in oxygen and nitrogen) and dynamic (in argon) regime. A noticeable increase in the hydrophilicity of samples and their adhesion to coatings has been established. Changes in chemical composition and morphology of the surface resulting from plasma treatment and subsequent aging have been studied. The treatment regime have been established under which sufficient hydrophilicity is reached and mechanical strength is preserved.     

Enhancement of Germination and Seedling Growth of Wheat Seed Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma with Various Gas Sources

The influences of non-thermal discharge plasma treatment on wheat seed germination and seedling growth were investigated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma system at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. DBD plasma with various gas sources (oxygen, air, argon, and nitrogen) was employed in this study. Germination characteristics, seedling growth parameters, surface changes of the seed coat, permeability, and soluble protein of the seedlings were measured after the DBD plasma treatments. The experimental results showed that moderate-intensity DBD plasma had active impacts on wheat seed germination and seedling growth. Germination potential significantly increased by 24.0, 28.0, and 35.5% after 4 min of the air plasma, nitrogen plasma, and argon plasma treatments, respectively, compared with the control; and the shoot and root length also increased; however, no enhancement was observed after the oxygen plasma treatment. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed that etching effects on the seed coat occurred after the air plasma, nitrogen plasma, and argon plasma treatments, which affected the hygroscopicity and permeability of the wheat seed. In addition, moderate-intensity DBD plasma could also activate several physiological reactions in wheat seed, resulting in the increase of soluble protein production in wheat seedlings.     

Influence of Plasma Treatments on the Hemocompatibility of PET and PET + TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Films

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in helium was used to ameliorate the interface between the blood and the surface of polymeric implants: polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and PET with titanium oxide (PET + TiO₂). A higher crystallinity degree was found for the DBD treated samples. The wettability of polymers was improved after the treatment. The chemical composition, analyzed by infrared spectroscopy was preserved during the DBD treatment. The surface modifications have been correlated with polymers hemocompatibility. Concerning the polymer surface–blood interaction, the treatment induced a decrease of the interfacial tension between the blood components and the treated surfaces. The in vitro tests of hemocompatibility showed no perturbation in the blood composition when the polymer samples are present in the blood volume. An interesting result is related to the whole blood clotting time that shows a dramatic increase on the treated surfaces. Moreover, the coagulation kinetics on the treated surfaces is modified.     

Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) Surface Modification by Nitrogen Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge (APGD) and by Air Corona

We compare two surface treatments of biaxially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP), which are carried out in the same dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) apparatus, namely air corona, and N₂ atmospheric pressure glow discharge (APGD). Changes in the surface energy and chemistry are investigated by contact angle measurements, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). It is shown that N₂ APGD treatment leads to a higher surface energy than air corona treatment, and to the formation of mostly amine, amide, and hydroxyl functional groups at the polypropylene surface. Finally, hydrophobic recovery of the treated film is studied; for both treatment types, the increased surface energy is found to decay in a similar manner with increasing storage time after treatment.     

Effects of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma on Physicochemical Characteristics,Mechanical Properties and Biocompatibility of Silk/PVA Nanofibers

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - This work reports an investigation of the discharge characteristics of atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in terms of I-V curves and...     

Development of double cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge ion source

This paper deals with the dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) ion source composed of the outer cylindrical dielectric tube and the inner grounded metallic tube electrode. The sample gas is supplied through the inner ceramic tube. In this ion source, the DBD plasma is localized in the DBD tube so that the sample gases can be ionized just outside of the ceramic tube by the DBD excited helium gas without being exposed in the plasma jet. Besides, ambient air does not take part in the ionization of the sample vapor because ionization takes place inside the DBD ion source. Thus, this method is totally free from contaminants in ambient air. It was found that this ion source is capable of soft, high-sensitivity, and reproducible ionization. Application of this technique to the analysis of methamphetamine, carbaryl and basil leaf was given.     

Atmospheric pressure plasma induced grafting of poly(ethylene glycol) onto silicone elastomers for controlling biological response

This study investigates the role that surface functionalisation of silicone elastomer (SE) by atmospheric pressure plasma induced graft immobilisation of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA) plays in the attendant biological response. SE is used in modern ophthalmic medical devices and samples of the material were initially plasma treated using a dielectric barrier discharge reactor (DBD) to introduce reactive oxygen functionalities, prior to in situ grafting of two molecular weights of PEGMA (MW 1000 Da: PEGMA(1000), MW 2000 Da: PEGMA(2000)). The variously processed surfaces were characterised by water contact angle analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy. Lens epithelial cells were then cultured on the PEGMA grafted SE surfaces. It was found that cells on the pristine surface were not well spread and had shrunken morphology. On the DBD pre-treated surfaces, the cells were well spread. On the PEGMA(1000) surface, the cells displayed evidence of shrinkage and were on the verge of detaching. Remarkably, on the PEGMA(2000) surface, no cell adhesion was detection. Bacterial adhesion to the surfaces was studied using Staphylococcus aureus NTC8325. There was no difference in the number of bacteria adhering to any of the surfaces studied.     

Study of SO2 Removal Using Non-thermal Plasma Induced by Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD)

Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) non-thermal plasma reactors built with three different dielectric materials for SO₂ removal were studied. The discharge characteristics of the three dielectrics, namely glass, Teflon, and glass fiber-based epoxy resin, were analyzed using Lissajous figures. From the Lissajous figures, the transition charge and energy deposition for each dielectric material were determined. When both the discharge characteristics and mechanical processability were considered, glass fiber-based epoxy resin was regarded as the best dielectric barrier among the three for DBD plasma reactors. A multi-cell DBD reactor built with glass fiber-based epoxy resin was used for treating air stream containing SO₂. SO₂ % removal decreased with increasing initial SO₂ concentration in a biphasic fashion. SO₂ removal was greatly improved by adding NH₃ into the air stream. Raising the relative humidity of the air stream also helped SO₂ removal. A SEM (scanning electron microscope) test illustrated some changes in surface morphology of Teflon and glass fiber-based epoxy resin.     

介质阻挡放电等离子体脱除氮氧化物的发射光谱研究

在大气压下, NO/N2体系中, 利用发射光谱技术对50 Hz和5 kHz交流介质阻挡放电等离子体在200～900 nm范围内进行了诊断. 在632、674.5、715.5和742 nm等处测得了N原子的谱线. 利用化学发光法NOx分析仪, 模块式红外吸收气体分析检测仪, 大气压下直连质谱多种检测手段对放电前后的稳定物种进行了分析, 观察到O2的生成. 初步讨论了无氧条件下介质阻挡放电等离子体中NO脱除的反应机制.     

Sterilization of Polymer Foils with Dielectric Barrier Discharges at Atmospheric Pressure

The emission of UV light as well as chemical reaction in plasmas allow them to be used for decontamination of food packaging. Sterilization efficiency of different dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) setups at atmospheric pressure was investigated for spores of B. subtilis and A. niger sprayed onto PET foils. In normal DBDs the efficiency of spore reduction in different gases (nitrogen, argon, synthetic air) can be related to the UV spectra of these gases in the discharge. With special so-called cascaded dielectric barrier discharges (CDBDs) a fast reduction of viable cells by more than four orders of magnitude is possible within few seconds, even for UV resistant cells. The sealing properties of commonly used PE-PET-laminate can be maintained in CDBD which is not observed for single-gap DBD.     

Investigation of CO2 Splitting Process Under Atmospheric Pressure Using Multi-electrode Cylindrical DBD Plasma Reactor

Plasma Chemistry and Plasma Processing - In this paper, the CO2 splitting process was performed under atmospheric pressure in a multi-electrode cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma...     

Comparison Between Air Filamentary and Helium Glow Dielectric Barrier Discharges for the Polypropylene Surface Treatment

Recently, a glow like dielectric controlled barrier discharge (GDBD) working at atmospheric pressure has been observed. Such a discharge could replace a filamentary dielectric controlled barrier discharge (FDBD) used in corona treatment systems to improve the wettability or the adhesion of polymers. So it is of interest to compare these two types of discharges and their respective effect on a polymer surface. This is the aim of an extensive study we have undertaken. The first step presented here is the comparison of a filamentary discharge in air with a glow discharge in helium. Helium is the most appropriate gas to realize a glow discharge at atmospheric pressure. Air is the usual atmosphere for a corona treatment. The plasma was characterized by emission spectroscopy and current measurements. The surface transformations were indicated by the water contact angle, the leakage current measurement and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results show that the helium GDBD is better than air FDBD to increase polypropylene wettability without decreasing the bulk electrical properties below a certain level. Contact angle scattering as well as leakage current measurements confirm that the GDBD clearly results in more reproducible and homogeneous treatment than the FDBD.     

ToF‐SIMS multivariate characterization of surface modification of polymers by N2?H2 atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) is a powerful tool for the surface characterization of plasma‐modified surface. However, the SIMS fragmentation patterns of the resulting surface are quite complex and a full interpretation may be prohibitive. As a result, many studies are turning to multivariate statistical methods to simplify the interpretation. In this study, a principal component analysis (PCA) was used to obtain a more detailed interpretation of the surface modification of polymers by an atmospheric pressure plasma. The dataset was obtained from three polymers with different chemical compositions [namely, polyethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, and poly(tetrafluoroethylene)], where each material was treated with an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in an atmosphere composed of different N₂/H₂ ratios. The results are discussed in terms of the suitability of ToF‐SIMS analysis combined with PCA for the discrimination between the three polymers and the possibility to create a predictive model that would describe the plasma surface modification, independent of the polymer substrate chemical composition. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A New Approach to Metal Surface Nitriding Using Dielectric Barrier Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

A new approach to metal surface nitriding using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma at atmospheric pressure is presented in this paper. Results of the study show that the plasma nitriding at atmospheric pressure using DBDs is realizable. Harder and thicker compound layer and diffusion layer on the treated surface has been formed in shorter treatment time comparing with the conventional vacuum plasma nitriding, Increasing the applied voltage will facilitate the formation of a thicker nitrided layer using the DBD. The nitrided layer acquired by this new approach is mainly composed of ɛ phase and γ′ phase, and the crystal grains of the ɛ phase is fine and has high dislocations density.     

Rapid detection of drugs in biofluids using atmospheric pressure chemi/chemical ionization mass spectrometry

We have demonstrated that, with simple pH adjustment, volatile drugs such as methamphetamine, amphetamine, 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), ketamine, and valproic acid could be analyzed rapidly from raw biofluid samples (e.g. urine and serum) without dilution, or extraction, using atmospheric pressure ionization. The ion source was a variant type of atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) that used a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) to generate the metastable helium gas and reagent ions. The sample solution was loaded in a disposable glass pipette, and the volatile compounds were purged by nitrogen gas to be reacted with the metastable helium gas. The electrodes of the DBD were arranged in such a way that the generated glow discharge was confined within the discharge tube and was not exposed to the analytes. A needle held at 100–500 V was placed between the ion‐sampling orifice and the discharge tube to guide the analyte ions into the mass spectrometer. After pH adjustment of the biofluid sample, the amphiphilic drugs were in the form of a water‐insoluble oil, which could be concentrated on the liquid surface. By gentle heating of the sample to increase the evaporation rate, rapid and sensitive detection of these drugs in raw urine and serum samples could be achieved in less than 2 min for each sample. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.