The Role of Dielectric Barrier Discharge Atmosphere and Physics on Polypropylene Surface Treatment

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is the discharge involved in corona treatment, widely used in industry to increase the wettability or the adhesion of polymer films or fibers. Usually DBD's are filamentary discharges but recently a homogeneous glow DBD has been obtained. The aim of this paper is to compare polypropylene surface transformations realized with filamentary and glow DBD in different atmospheres (He, N₂, N₂ + O₂ mixtures) and to determine the relative influence of both the discharge regime and the gas nature, on the polypropylene surface transformations. From wettability and XPS results it is shown that the discharge regime can have a significant effect on the surface transformations, because it changes both the ratio of electrons to gas metastables, and the space distribution of the plasma active species. This last parameter is important at atmospheric pressure because the mean free paths are short (m). These two points explain why in He, polypropylene wettability increase is greater by a glow DBD than by a filamentary DBD. In N₂, no significant effect of the discharge regime is observed because electrons and metastables lead to the same active species throughout the gas bulk. The specificity of a DBD in N₂ atmosphere compared to an atmosphere containing oxygen is that it allows very extensive surface transformations and a greater increase of the polypropylene surface wettability. Indeed, even in low concentration and independently of the discharge regime, when O₂ is present in the plasma gas, it controls the surface chemistry and degradation occurs.     

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.     

催化增强化学蒸气沉积法在聚酰亚胺上沉积钯-铂合金薄层

以N₂，O₂作载气，通过催化增强化学蒸气沉积(CECVD)分别制得在聚酰亚胺上的金属铂、钯及其合金薄层。铂、钯配合物的共同沉积可生成Pt-Pd合金薄膜。在Pd-Pt合金的沉积过程中，Pd/Pt的原子数比率随共同沉积的条件改变而变化。O₂为载气、300 ℃条件下,用Pd(η³-allyl)(hfac)和Pt(COD)Me₂作前驱体共沉积制备Pd-Pt合金，得到含Pd 37.2%，Pt 62.8%且不     

Oxidation of Styrene in a Silent Discharge Plasma

A silent discharge plasma reactor has been developed to study the oxidation of styrene vapor in argon/oxygen mixtures. A number of analytical techniques were employed to determine the destruction efficiency and to characterize the intermediate products. The destruction efficiency was measured as a function of initial styrene concentration, temperature, and energy density of the plasma. The formation of solid products was observed in most experiments. At low temperature (100°C), the solid deposit was polymeric in nature, while at high temperature (300°C) the solid appeared to be amorphous carbon. A combination of high temperature and high energy density resulted in high destruction efficiency and minimal production of solid films. The destruction efficiency vs. energy density is shown to be more complex than a simple model predicting exponential behavior. Several reasons for the discrepancy are suggested. The e-folding energy density for the destruction of styrene is compared to literature values for other organic compounds, measured using similar types of plasma reactors.     

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)     

Plasma-Catalytic Decomposition of Phenols in Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharge

This study investigated the processes for the destruction of phenol and its derivatives (resorcin and pyrocatechol) in aqueous solutions under the action of an oxygen dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure in the presence or absence of catalysts in the plasma zone. It was shown that the DBD had a high decomposition efficiency for phenol and its derivatives (up to 99%). Phenol was the most stable and pyrocatechol was the least. In a plasma-catalytic hybrid process, the effective rate constants for phenol, resorcin and pyrocatechol decomposition were 11, 4 and 2.5 times higher, respectively, than those for the DBD treatment without catalysts. The process also resulted in a 1.4, 1.6 and 1.2 times higher rate of carboxylic acid formation for phenol, resorcin and pyrocatechol, respectively. The fractional conversion into the respective carboxylic acids reached 56% for phenol and 68% for resorcin and pyrocatechol.     

Cleaning of Silicon and Steel Surfaces Using Dielectric Barrier Discharges

The plasma-activated removal of oil from contaminated silicon substrates and galvanized steel sheets has been performed using dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) at atmospheric pressure. Removal rates were determined by ellipsometric measurement of the oil film thickness, using polished silicon as substrates. With galvanized steel sheets, qualitative and quantitative investigations were done using fluorescence microscopic characterization of theplasma-treated surfaces. Both the ellipsometric and the fluorescence microscopic measurements yield the dependence of the removal rate on treatment parameterssuch as plasma–gas composition and gas flow. The film thickness measurements were calibrated using quantitative IR spectroscopic measurements. It could be shown that the removal rate increases with increasing oxygen content in the process gas, static removal rates of 0.6 nm/s and 7 nm/s being obtainedin pure nitrogen and in pure oxygen, respectively. Fluorescence microscopic investigations showed that oil can be removed even from grooves in the galvanized steel sheets.     

介质阻挡放电与 CuZSM-5 结合方式对脱除 NOx 的影响

 研究了介质阻挡放电 (DBD) 与 CuZSM-5 结合方式, 即 DBD 和 CuZSM-5 两段分置 (两段法) 或将 CuZSM-5 放入 DBD 区 (一段法), 对脱除氮氧化物的影响. 结果表明, 在 NO/N2 或 NO/C2H4/N2 无氧体系中, DBD 与 CuZSM-5 结合产生的协同效应很小; 在 NO/O2/N2 富氧体系中, DBD 与 CuZSM-5 结合导致氮氧化物转化率下降; 而在 NO/C2H4/O2 /N2 富氧体系中, 在 250 ºC, 空速 12 000 h1, 输入放电能量密度 (Ein) 155 J/L 的条件下, 单纯催化、单纯等离子体放电、一段法和两段法时氮氧化物转化率分别为 39%, 1.5%, 79% 和 52%. 两段法产生了中等程度的协同效应, 主要是第一段等离子体放电产生新稳态物种 (如 NO2, CO 和 CO2 等) 起作用; 而一段法产生的协同效应较大, 主要是由于等离子体放电产生的新稳态物种和激发态短寿命物种 (如 N2*, NO*, CH 和 CN 等) 共同起作用.     

Partial Oxidation of Methane to Methanol with Oxygen or Air in a Nonequilibrium Discharge Plasma

The partial oxidation of methane to methanol with oxygen or air was investigated experimentally and theoretically in a dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD). The predominant parameters of specific electric energy, oxygen content, flow rate, temperature, and gas pressure were determined in CH ₄ /O ₂ and CH ₄ /air mixtures. Optimum selectivities toward methanol formation were found at an oxygen concentration of about 15% in both feed gas mixtures. Low specific energy favors the selectivity toward methanol and suppresses the formation of carbon oxides. The experiments indicate that high methanol selectivities can be obtained at high methane conversion. The highest methanol yield of 3% and the highest methanol selectivity of about 30% were achieved in CH ₄ /O ₂ mixtures. In CH ₄ /air mixtures, as high as 2% methanol yield was also obtained. In addition, other useful products, like ethylene, ethane, propane, and ethanol, were detected. Experiment and numerical simulations show that the formation of H ₂ O and CO has a strong negative influence on methanol formation.     

Comparison of the Plasma Temperature and Electron Number Density of the Pulsed Electrolyte Cathode Atmospheric Pressure Discharge and the Direct Current Solution Cathode Glow Discharge

A novel-pulsed electrolyte cathode atmospheric pressure discharge (pulsed-ECAD) plasma source driven by an alternating current (AC) power supply coupled with a high-voltage diode was generated under normal atmospheric pressure between a metal electrode and a small-sized flowing liquid cathode. The spatial distributions of the excitation, vibrational, and rotational plasma temperatures of the pulsed-ECAD were investigated. The electron excitation temperature of H T_exc(H), vibrational temperature of N₂ T_vib(N₂), and rotational temperature of OH T_rot(OH) were from 4900?±?36 to 6800?±?108 K, from 4600?±?86 to 5800?±?100 K, and from 1050?±?20 to 1140?±?10 K, respectively. The temperature characteristics of the dc solution cathode glow discharge (dc-SCGD) were also studied for the comparison with the pulsed-ECAD. The effects of operating parameters, including the discharge voltage and discharge frequency, on the plasma temperatures were investigated. The electron number densities determined in the discharge system and dc-SCGD were 3.8–18.9?×?10¹⁴?cm^–3 and 2.6?×?10¹⁴ to 17.2?×?10¹⁴?cm^–3, respectively.     

Modification of porous silica particles with poly(acrylic acid)

The surface of porous silica particles was modified with poly(acrylic acid) by reacting the carboxyl groups on poly(acrylic acid) with the amino groups of pregrafted aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS). The chemical modifications by APS and polymer were characterized by infrared spectroscopy and the amount of APS and poly(acrylic acid) grafted to the surface were determined by thermal gravimetric analyses. The wettability of the modified silica particles, based on the rate of water penetration, was pH‐dependent with PAA; at pH 1.5 the wettability increased but at pH 5.5 it decreased dramatically. The pore size and size distribution of the silica particles decreased with APS and polymer grafting. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Chemical Modification of Tryptophan Residues in Pullulanase

Tryptophan（Trp）residues in pullulanase have been chemically modified with N-bromossuccinimide（NBS）. The results of ultraviolet spectra indicated that there are 18 Trp residues in pullulanase and nine of them are located on the surface of the enzyme. Three of these Trp residues are none-essential residues which showed the fastest reaction speed by Zhou＇s plot. Two of the seven relative faster reacting residues are essential for the activity of the enzyme. The other eight are none-reactive residues with lowest reaction speed.     

人纤维蛋白溶酶原中色氨酸残基的化学修饰

以Ｎ－溴代琥珀酰亚胺为修饰剂，对人纤维蛋白溶酶原（ＨＰｇ）中色氨酸（Ｔｒｐ）残基的分布及其与酶活力的关系进行了研究，发现每个ＨＰｇ分子有１９个Ｔｒｐ残基，５个位于分子表面：有２个是快反应残基，其中１个是活性必需的氨基酸，酶被修饰后其荧光光谱及圆二色谱发生了变化。     

Surface Modification of Textile Fibers and Cords by Plasma Polymerization

In this paper we report on the treatment of industrial fibers and cords by means of plasma polymerization techniques. Coatings of plasma-polymerized pyrrole or acetylene were deposited on aramid fibers, aramid cords and polyester cords. The equipment was a custom-built semi-continuous reactor operated on a pulsed DC glow discharge. The fibers and cords were tested for adhesion to various polymers such as tire cord skim stock rubber compounds and epoxy adhesives. Standard industrial pull-out force adhesion measurement techniques were used. The deposition conditions of the plasma polymer films were varied within wide limits. It was found that, in general, films deposited under low-power and high-pressure conditions performed better than films prepared under high-power and low-pressure conditions. For some systems pulsing of the discharge power improved the performance further. For all systems studied, the optimized plasma polymer surface modification outperformed current industrial standards. The plasma-polymerized coatings were characterized by various techniques and the excellent performance results are explained in a tentative model based on the molecular structure of the films. This structure was found to be strongly dependent on the discharge conditions.     

Novel AC and DC Non-Thermal Plasma Sources for Cold Surface Treatment of Polymer Films and Fabrics at Atmospheric Pressure

Novel types of non-thermal plasma sources at atmospheric pressure based on multi-pin DC (direct current) diffusive glow discharge and AC (alternative current) streamer barrier corona have been elaborated and tested successfully for cold surface treatment of polymer films [polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET),] and polyester fabric. Results on physical properties ofdischarges mentioned and output energy characteristics of new plasma sources as well as data on after-treatment changes in wettability of films and fabrics are presented. The main goal of this study was to find out the experimental conditions for gas discharge and surface processing to achieve a remarkable wettability change for a short treatment time.     

Chemical Modification and Fluorescence Spectrum of Tryptophan Residues in Pullulanase

IntroductionPullulanase(E.C.3.2.1.41)is a debranchingenzyme that can hydrolyze theα-1,6glucosidic bondsin pullulan,amylopectin,andβ-limit dextrin[1].It iswidely applied to starch industry and in the manufactu-ring of malt syrup,high-purity glucose,and f…     

Comparative Actions of NiO and TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Catalysts on the Destruction of Phenol and its Derivatives in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge

This study examined processes of decomposing phenol and its derivatives (resorcin, pyrocatechol and hydroquinone) in aqueous solutions under the action of an atmospheric pressure oxygen dielectric barrier discharge in the presence or absence of catalysts in the plasma zone. Two types of catalysts were tested, NiO and TiO₂. It was found that both materials exhibited catalytic properties. The action of NiO accelerated the step of phenol destruction while the action of TiO₂ catalyst resulted in a more preferable composition of decomposition products and provided a higher degree of carboxylic acid conversion into carbon dioxide than the NiO catalyst.     

Comparison of dielectric barrier discharge, atmospheric pressure radiofrequency-driven glow discharge and direct analysis in real time sources for ambient mass spectrometry of acetaminophen

Three plasma-based ambient pressure ion sources were investigated; laboratory constructed dielectric barrier and rf glow discharges, as well as a commercial corona discharge (DART source). All were used to desorb and ionize a model analyte, providing sampling techniques for ambient mass spectrometry (MS). Experimental parameters were optimized to achive highest signal for acetaminophen as the analyte. Insight into the mechanisms of analyte desorption and ionization was obtained by means of emission spectrometry and ion current measurements. Desorption and ionization mechanisms for this analyte appear to be identical for all three plasma sources. Emission spectra differ only in the intensities of various lines and bands. Desorption of solid analyte requires transfer of thermal energy from the plasma source to sample surface, in the absence of which complete loss of MS response occurs. For acetaminophen, helium was the best plasma gas, providing 100- to 1000-fold higher analyte response than with argon or nitrogen. The same trend was also evident with background ions (protonated water clusters). MS analyte signal intensity correlates with the ion density (expressed as ion current) in the plasma plume and with emission intensity from excited state species in the plasma. These observations support an ionization process which occurs via proton transfer from protonated water clusters to analyte molecules.     

Chemical Modification of Amino Acid Residues in Human Plasminogen

The chemical modification of human plasminogen (HPg) was studied with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), N-acetylimidazole (NAI), 1,2-cyclohexanedione (CHD), chloramine T(Ch-T)and N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as modifying reagents at its carboxyl group, tyrosine, arginine, methionine and tryptophan residues, respectively. The results indicate that tyrosine and arginine residues are not essential for HPg activity, while carboxyl groups, methionine and tryptophan residues are important for the activi-ty of HPg. The Keech and Farrant‘s kinetic analysis reveals that one tryptophan residue, one methionine residue and two carboxyl groups are essential for HPg activity.     

聚苯乙烯-g-聚乙二醇的制备及其表面改性作用

通过沉淀聚合方法,利用自由基共聚制备了苯乙烯-顺丁烯二酸酐共聚物(SMA),利用SOCl2的酰氯反应,在SMA大分子链上接枝聚乙二醇侧链,制备了聚苯乙烯-g-聚乙二醇(PEG-g-PS)的大分子表面改性剂。利用大分子表面改性剂在聚苯乙烯基体中具有选择性迁移扩散的特性,实现了对聚苯乙烯薄膜表面极性的改善作用。采用衰减全反射傅立叶变换红外光谱仪和表面静态接触角法检测了聚苯乙烯的表面极性。结果发现,PEG-g-PS上的聚醚链段可以有效的富集在聚合物表面,明显改善PS的表面极性和亲水性,表面极性可提高3倍,达到11.6mN/m。同时,大分子表面改性剂和聚苯乙烯基体间有一定的相容性,有效地克服了小分子表面改性剂容易流失,改性寿命较短的重要缺陷,使表面改性的持久性充分增加,实现对聚合物表面改性效果终生化的目的。而且大分子表面改性剂在极性溶剂的诱导作用下,可以实现进一步的迁移扩散,充分提高了聚苯乙烯的表面极性。