RMS roughness-independent tuning of surface wettability by tailoring silver nanoparticles with a fluorocarbon plasma polymer.

A layer of 14 nm-sized Ag nanoparticles undergoes complex transformation when overcoated by thin films of a fluorocarbon plasma polymer. Two regimes of surface evolution are identified, both with invariable RMS roughness. In the early regime, the plasma polymer penetrates between and beneath the nanoparticles, raising them above the substrate and maintaining the multivalued character of the surface roughness. The growth (ß) and the dynamic (1/z) exponents are close to zero and the interface bears the features of self-affinity. The presence of inter-particle voids leads to heterogeneous wetting with an apparent water contact angle θa = 135°. The multivalued nanotopography results in two possible positions for the water droplet meniscus, yet strong water adhesion indicates that the meniscus is located at the lower part of the spherical nanofeatures. In the late regime, the inter-particle voids become filled and the interface acquires a single valued character. The plasma polymer proceeds to grow on the thus-roughened surface whereas the nanoparticles keep emerging away from the substrate. The RMS roughness remains invariable and lateral correlations propagate with 1/z = 0.27. The surface features multiaffinity which is given by different evolution of length scales associated with the nanoparticles and with the plasma polymer. The wettability turns to the homogeneous wetting state.

In situ coupling of chitosan onto polypropylene foils by an Atmospheric Pressure Air Glow Discharge with a liquid cathode.

Atmospheric air plasma treatment of chitosan solutions leads to degradation of chitosan molecules by OH radicals and is accompanied by a predominant cleavage of glycosidic linkages and by a decrease of the molecular weight. The degradation proceeds via first order kinetics with the rate constant of (5.73±0.22)×10(-6)s(-1) and the energetic yield of chitosan bond scission of (2.4±0.2)×10(-8)mol/J. Products of degradation together with intact chitosan molecules adsorb and form coatings on polypropylene foils immersed into the solution that is being plasma treated. The plasma treatment results in strong binding of chitosan to polypropylene due to the formation of covalent bonds between the activated polymer surface and chitosan molecules. Plasma-driven crosslinking is responsible for the accumulation of compressive stress which leads to the development of buckling instabilities in the chitosan coatings.

A plasma polymerization technique to overcome cerebrospinal fluid shunt infections.

Prosthetic devices, mainly shunts, are frequently used for temporary or permanent drainage of cerebrospinal fluid. The pathogenesis of shunt infection is a very important problem in modern medicine and generally this is characterized by staphylococcal adhesion to the cerebrospinal fluid shunt surfaces. In this paper, the prevention of the attachment of test microorganism Staphylococcus epidermidis on the cerebrospinal fluid shunt surfaces by 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) precursor modification in the plasma polymerization system, is reported. Different plasma polymerization conditions (RF discharge power 10-20-30 W, exposure time 5-10-15 min) were employed during the surface modification. The surface chemistry and topology of unmodified and modified shunts was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Also, static contact angle measurements were performed to state the change of surface hydrophilicity. All samples were tested in vitro with Staphylococcus epidermidis. A plasma-polymerized HEMA film (PP HEMA) was found to be an alternative simple method to decrease the microorganism attachment and create bacterial anti-fouling surfaces. The attachment of the model microorganism Staphylococcus epidermidis on the shunt surface modified by PP HEMA at 20 W and 15 min was reduced 62.3% if compared to the unmodified control surface of the shunt.