Atmospheric Aerosol Assisted Pulsed Plasma Polymerization: An Environmentally Friendly Technique for Tunable Catechol-Bearing Thin Films

In this work, an atmospheric aerosol assisted pulsed plasma process is reported as an environmentally friendly technique for the preparation of tunable catechol-bearing thin films under solvent and catalyst free conditions. The approach relies on the direct injection of dopamine acrylamide dissolved in 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate as comonomer into the plasma zone. By adjusting the pulsing of the electrical discharge, the reactive plasma process can be alternatively switch ON (tON) and OFF (tOFF) during different periods of time, thus allowing a facile and fine tuning of the catechol density, morphology and deposition rate of the coating. An optimal tON/tOFF ratio is established, that permits maximizing the catechol content in the deposited film. Finally, a diagram, based on the average energy input into the process, is proposed allowing for easy custom synthesis of layers with specific chemical and physical properties, thus highlighting the utility of the developed dry plasma route

Atmospheric plasma deposition of bioinspired catechol-rich polymers: a promising route for the simple construction of redox-active thin films

In this communication, an atmospheric one-step plasma-based method is reported for the simultaneous synthesis and deposition of robust redox-active catechol-rich polymers. The bioinspired films are characterized by combining various analytical techniques, including IR, XPS, AFM and SIMS, and their potentials as organic cathode materials for lithium ion battery demonstrated. The influence of the coating thickness on the applicative properties of the films is also investigated

Anti-biofouling and antibacterial surfaces via a multicomponent coating deposited from an up-scalable atmospheric-pressure plasma-assisted CVD process

peer reviewedPrevention of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on the surfaces of materials is a topic of major medical and societal importance. In this study, an up-scalable atmospheric-pressure plasma assisted deposition method is introduced to produce a multicomponent coating towards the elaboration of antibacterial and anti-biofilm surfaces. Interestingly, from a single catechol-based monomer, high deposition rates of highly chemically reactive functional thin films bearing catechol as well as quinone groups are achieved. The catechol-bearing thin film allows the in situ silver nanoparticle formation, assessed by scanning electron microscopy and EDX, whilst the enriched-quinone thin film is exploited for immobilizing dispersine B, an enzyme. In vitro functional assays demonstrated the dual antibacterial and anti-biofouling resistance properties of the coatings due to the antibacterial effect of silver and the fouling resistance of grafted dispersine B, respectively. Surfaces coated only with silver provide an antibacterial effect but fail to inhibit bacterial attachment, highlighting the usefulness of such dual-action surfaces. The approach presented here provides a simple and effective chemical pathway to construct powerful antibacterial surfaces for various industrial applications

A non-thermal plasma process for the gas phase synthesis of carbon nanoparticles

International audiencePlasma processes, mostly involving so-called "thermal" plasmas, have been exploited in many instances for the gas phase synthesis of carbon nanoparticles such as carbon black, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes. A non-thermal plasma process, based on low current-high voltage discharges, has been developed for the gas phase synthesis of carbon nanoparticles at atmospheric pressure. This process can produce a broad range of products such as furnace-type carbon blacks, acetylene-type carbon blacks, and nanoparticles with a peculiar morphology that we call "crumpled paper sheets". The products were characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and BET measurements. Some correlations between the operating conditions and the characteristics of carbon nanostructures highlight temperature as a key parameter for controlling the growth, formation, and type of the nanoparticles obtained

Plasma Deposition of Thermo-Responsive Thin Films from N-Vinylcaprolactam

Herein, plasma deposited thermally responsive thin polymer films from N-vinylcaprolactam (NVCL) is reported for the first time by using a low pressure RF plasma process. While FT-IR and XPS analyses highlight the film chemistry, ToF-SIMS combined with MALDI-MS analyses allow to accurately identify different oligomer distributions in the deposited film. The switching behavior of these smart surfaces is confirmed with water contact angle measurements at low and high temperatures, allowing also to estimate the Lower Critical Solution Temperatur

Robust bio-inspired antibacterial surfaces based on the covalent binding of peptides on functional atmospheric plasma thin films

peer reviewe

Atmospheric plasma deposition of methacrylate layers containing catechol/quinone groups: an alternative to polydopamine bioconjugation for biomedical applications

Bioconjugation of enzymes on coatings based on polydopamine (PDA) layers is an appealing approach to control biological responses on biomedical implant surfaces. As alternative to PDA wet deposition, a fast, solvent‐free, and dynamic deposition approach based on atmospheric‐pressure plasma dielectric barrier discharge process is considered to deposit on metallic surfaces acrylic‐based interlayers containing highly chemically reactive catechol/quinone groups. A biomimetic approach based on covalent immobilization of Dispersin B, an enzyme with antibiofilm properties, shows the bioconjugation potential of the novel plasma polymer layers. The excellent antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis is comparable to the PDA‐based layers prepared by wet chemical methods with slow deposition rates. A study of preosteoblastic MG‐63 human cell line viability and adhesion properties on plasma polymer layers demonstrates early interaction required for biomedical applications.The METABIO projec

Plasma deposition method for catechol/quinone functionalised layers

publication date: 2016-04-07; filing date: 2015-08-24The invention provides a solvent-free plasma method for depositing an adherent catechol and/or quinone functionalised layer to an inorganic or organic substrate from a precursor which comprises at least a quinone group; a protected or unprotected catechol group; a molecule substituted by a quinone group and/or a protected or unprotected catechol group; and/or a natural or synthetic derivative of a catechol group and/or a quinone group; wherein the quinone group is a 1,2- benzoquinone group and the catechol group is a 1,2-dihydroxybenzene group