Atmospheric Plasma Nanotexturing of Organic–Inorganic Nanocomposite Coatings for Multifunctional Surface Fabrication

Abstract

We present the concept of the combined synthesis of organic−inorganic nanocomposite coatings and atmospheric pressure plasma etching/nanotexturing for tailoring the surface topography and fabricating multifunctional surfaces. As demonstration, we fabricated superhydrophobic ZnO/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocomposite coatings. Composite coatings differing in ZnO content were synthesized and plasma etched in a dielectric barrier discharge operating in He/O 2 in an open-air environment. The phase selective plasma etching of organic over inorganic matter resulted in the gradual revealing of the inorganic ZnO particles, which were multisized due to agglomeration during the synthesis and plasma etching process. The creation of hierarchical topography led to the fabrication of roll-off superhydrophobic surfaces with water contact angle ∼158°and sliding angle ∼3°after the application of a low-pressure plasma deposited Teflon-like film. Moreover, we studied the optical properties of the superhydrophobic, atmospheric plasma nanotextured surfaces in terms of reflectance measurements (total, diffuse, and specular) to evaluate their possible use as antireflective surfaces.

Application of plasma‐activated water as an antimicrobial washing agent of fresh leafy produce

“…It is sustained by electrical discharges and has already been applied successfully for materials processing for several applications. [17][18][19][20] Of particular interest for food disinfection are plasmas in the air or in contact with air, where a mixture of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), such as O, O 3 , and NO x is created. RONS created in the gas phase have demonstrated antimicrobial properties against a broad range of microorganisms, including Gram-positive andnegative bacteria, viruses, and fungi.…”

A Review of Fabrication Methods, Properties and Applications of Superhydrophobic Metals

“…Several approaches have been proposed using either thermal or non-thermal plasmas, low or atmospheric pressure, and several plasma reactor configurations. Different nanostructured, low-surface energy materials have been proposed as well and the targeted functionalized surfaces range from plastics and composites to glass and metals [79,80].…”

Food container employing a cold atmospheric plasma source for prolonged preservation of plant and animal origin food products

“…The latter is a 40 µm thick copper grid, carefully machined in order to maximize electric field [13] . This patented electrode design has already been applied in radio-frequency driven volume DBD device for polymer surface treatments [14 , 15] . It is the first time that this electrode is used to create surface discharges using low frequency AC high voltages.…”