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Abstract: Samples of polymer polyethylene terephthalate were exposed to a weakly ionized gaseous plasma to modify the polymer surface properties for better cell cultivation. The gases used for treatment were sulfur dioxide and oxygen of various partial pressures. Plasma was created by an electrodeless radio frequency discharge at a total pressure of 60 Pa. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed weak functionalization of the samples’ surfaces with the sulfur, with a concentration around 2.5 at %, whereas the oxygen concentration remained at the level of untreated samples, except when the gas mixture with oxygen concentration above 90% was used. Atomic force microscopy revealed highly altered morphology of plasma-treated samples; however, at high oxygen partial pressures this morphology vanished. The samples were then incubated with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Biological tests to determine endothelialization and possible toxicity of the plasma-treated polyethylene terephthalate samples were performed. Cell metabolic activity (MTT) and in vitro toxic effects of unknown compounds (TOX) were assayed to determine the biocompatibility of the treated substrates. The biocompatibility demonstrated a well-pronounced maximum versus gas composition which correlated well with development of the surface morphology.
Published in DiRROS: 25.07.2024; Views: 95; Downloads: 99
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Abstract: Water scarcity is one of the greatest threats for human survival and quality of life, and this is increasingly contributing to the risk of human, animal and plant infections due to waterborne viruses. Viruses are transmitted through polluted water, where they can survive and cause infections even at low concentrations. Plant viruses from the genus Tobamovirus are highly mechanically transmissible, and cause considerable damage to important crops, such as tomato. The release of infective tobamoviruses into environmental waters has been reported, with the consequent risk for arid regions, where these waters are used for irrigation. Virus inactivation in water is thus very important and cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is emerging in this field as an efficient, safe, and sustainable alternative to classic waterborne virus inactivation methods. In the present study we evaluated CAP-mediated inactivation of pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) in water samples. PMMoV is a very resilient water-transmissible tobamovirus that can survive transit through the human digestive tract. The efficiency of PMMoV inactivation was characterized for infectivity and virion integrity, and at the genome level, using test plant infectivity assays, transmission electron microscopy, and molecular methods, respectively. Additionally, the safety of CAP treatment was determined by testing the cytotoxic and genotoxic properties of CAP-treated water on the HepG2 cell line. 5-min treatment with CAP was sufficient to inactivate PMMoV without introducing any cytotoxic or genotoxic effects in the in-vitro cell model system. These data on inactivation of such stable waterborne virus, PMMoV, will encourage further examination of CAP as an alternative for treatment of potable and irrigation waters, and even for other water sources, with emphasis on inactivation of various viruses including enteric viruses.
Keywords: enteric viruses, pepper mild mottle virus, virus inactivation, water decontamination, cold atmospheric plasma
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 122; Downloads: 103
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Abstract: The surface properties of hydrocarbon polymers are inadequate for numerous applications. Hence, they require alteration via functionalisation with desired functional groups. Hydroxyl groups are often preferred, since they enable appropriate polarity for the irreversible grafting of desired molecules. In this study, the surface kinetics resulting from the treatment of polystyrene with hydroxyl (OH) radicals from the gas phase was fundamentally investigated through a precisely-designed experiment. Polystyrene samples were exposed to various known fluences of OH radicals, and the evolution of surface functional groups versus the OH fluence was monitored using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The fluences of OH radicals varied between 1 × 1018 and 4 × 1023 m−2 in the process of finding a threshold fluence for the formation of specific groups. The surface concentration of carbonyl (C=O) groups could be measured using XPS at a fluence of approximately 5 × 1020 m−2. The C=O groups became measurable at a fluence of approximately 1.5 × 1021 m−2, and carboxyl (COOH)/ester groups at approximately 4 × 1021 m−2. As deduced from the XPS, a concentration of C=O groups at approximately 5 % occurred before the degradation of the aromatic ring. The formation of other oxygen-functional groups required opening of the aromatic ring. The results have been explained using a two-step process, considering available theories vis-a-vis initial stages in the functionalisation of PS with polar functional groups.
Keywords: polistiren, kinetika površinske funkcionalizacije, OH radikali, vpliv doze radikalov, časovni razvoj, polystyrene, surface functionalisation kinetics, OH radicals
Published in DiRROS: 09.11.2023; Views: 481; Downloads: 196
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Abstract: Calorimetry is a commonly used method in plasma characterization, but the accuracy of the method is tied to the accuracy of the recombination coefficient, which in turn depends on a number of surface effects. Surface effects also govern the kinetics in advanced methods such as atomic layer oxidation of inorganic materials and functionalization of organic materials. The flux of the reactive oxygen atoms for the controlled oxidation of such materials depends on the recombination coefficient of materials placed into the reaction chamber, which in turn depends on the surface morphology, temperature, and pressure in the processing chamber. The recombination coefficient of a well-oxidized cobalt surface was studied systematically in a range of temperatures from 300 to 800 K and pressures from 40 to 200 Pa. The coefficient increased monotonously with decreasing pressure and increasing temperature. The lowest value was about 0.05, and the highest was about 0.30. These values were measured for cobalt foils previously oxidized with oxygen plasma at the temperature of 1300 K. The oxidation caused a rich morphology with an average roughness as deduced from atomic force images of 0.9 µm. The results were compared with literature data, and the discrepancy between results reported by different authors was explained by taking into account the peculiarities of their experimental conditions.
Published in DiRROS: 25.08.2023; Views: 527; Downloads: 254
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Abstract: Relevant data on heterogeneous surface recombination of neutral oxygen atoms available in the scientific literature are reviewed and discussed for various materials. The coefficients are determined by placing the samples either in non-equilibrium oxygen plasma or its afterglow. The experimental methods used to determine the coefficients are examined and categorized into calorimetry, actinometry, NO titration, laser-induced fluorescence, and various other methods and their combinations. Some numerical models for recombination coefficient determination are also examined. Correlations are drawn between the experimental parameters and the reported coefficients. Different materials are examined and categorized according to reported recombination coefficients into catalytic, semi-catalytic, and inert materials. Measurements from the literature of the recombination coefficients for some materials are compiled and compared, along with the possible system pressure and material surface temperature dependence of the materials’ recombination coefficient. A large scattering of results reported by different authors is discussed, and possible explanations are provided.
Keywords: heterogeneous surface recombination, recombination coefficient, surface catalicity, catalytic efficiency, atom loss coefficient, oxygen, neutral atoms, plasma
Published in DiRROS: 22.02.2023; Views: 670; Downloads: 328
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