1. Utilization of waste plastic for plasma-assisted deposition of carbon nanowalls on electrodes for sustainable high-performance energy-storage devicesAlenka Vesel, Gregor Primc, Miran Mozetič, Melita Tramšek, Evelin Gruden, Haojie Fei, Petr Sáha, Marián Lehocký, Rok Zaplotnik, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Current global policies, such as circular economy, electrification, and low carbon footprint dictate the replacement of fossil fuels for synthesizing electrodes of graphene supercapacitors with renewable sources. The traditional method for depositing graphene and similar structures is based on gaseous hydrocarbons. The possibility of replacing them with waste plastic is presented. We used propane and waste plastics (mostly polypropylene) for the deposition of a few µm-thick deposit of carbon nanowalls composed of vertically oriented multilayer graphene-like sheets on electrodes by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). We studied their morphology and structure, as well as the performance of coin-shaped supercapacitors. The graphene-like coatings were deposited in plasma sustained at the pressure of 16 Pa by inductively coupled RF discharge in the H mode at the forward power of 500 W and power density approximately 8x106 W/m3. Such a powerful plasma caused thermal decomposition of the waste plastic. Optical emission spectroscopy showed significant differences only within the first few seconds of plasma treatment, which was enough to supply precursors for graphene growth. Both scanning and transmission electron microscopies showed similar structures for deposits prepared from propane or waste plastic, and the deposition rates of roughly 100 nm/s were observed. Waste plastic enabled the deposition of 2–3 times densely packed multilayer graphene-like sheets of a typical thickness of 5 nm at deposition times over 1 min. Raman spectroscopy indicated a somewhat lower concentration of defects for samples deposited from polypropylene, but the ID/IG versus the average distance between the neighboring multilayer graphene-like sheets followed the same line. The specific capacitance increased steeply with deposition time for deposits prepared from waste plastic and it was found to be linearly dependent on the ratio between the effective and projected areas of both precursors. The capacitance versus the ID/IG followed the same curve for both precursors. The results demonstrate the feasibility of replacing gaseous hydrocarbons with waste plastics for PECVD deposition of graphene electrodes.
Ključne besede: carbon nanomaterials, carbonnanowalls, electrode material, supercapacitators
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 28.04.2026; Ogledov: 155; Prenosov: 98
 Celotno besedilo (19,51 MB)
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2. Plasma-based treatments regulate seed germination in Cannabis sativa via oxidative status modulation and transcriptional changesNicola Bosco, Dane Lojen, Janez Kovač, Rok Zaplotnik, Miran Mozetič, Anca Macovei, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Cannabis sativa (hemp) is an industrial crop with expanding applications in the agrifood, textile, and pharmaceutical sectors. Despite its economic potential, seed germination and quality, essential for plant development and crop establishment, are suboptimal. In this context, plasma-induced seed priming represents a novel approach to improve germination efficiency. Although these treatments are rapid, their efficacy depends on the careful optimization of several operational parameters. Here, we aimed at developing optimized plasma priming treatments for hemp seeds by evaluating the influence of gas composition, operating pressure, and treatment duration. Two seed lots of a commercial hemp variety with distinct seed quality levels were used. The physiological effects on seed germination were determined by measuring several parameters (germination percentage, rate, and speed) while additional analyses included the levels of water uptake, surface hydrophilicity, chemical modifications, oxidative status, and selected gene expression profiles. Integrative data analysis revealed that oxygen-based plasma applied at high power intensity and short exposure time resulted in enhanced germination performance, likely due to increased hydrophilicity and subsequent water uptake. This treatment likely acted as a priming agent, stimulating pre-germinative metabolism, as evidenced by the transcriptional profiles of target genes. However, prolonged exposure resulted in detrimental effects possibly attributed to an excessive water uptake and ROS over-production. Overall, these findings suggest that properly calibrated plasma treatments can stimulate beneficial physiological responses and enhance germination, whereas excessive exposure disrupts cellular homeostasis and compromises seed performance.
Ključne besede: seed quality, non-equilibrium gaseous plasma, hydrophilicity
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 22.04.2026; Ogledov: 119; Prenosov: 83
Celotno besedilo (3,01 MB)
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3. Depth profiling of thin plasma-polymerized amine films using GDOES in an Ar-O[sub]2 plasmaJanez Kovač, Jernej Ekar, Miha Čekada, Lenka Zajíčková, David Nečas, Lucie Blahová, Jiang Yong Wang, Miran Mozetič, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Objavljeno v DiRROS: 20.04.2026; Ogledov: 141; Prenosov: 71
Celotno besedilo (2,23 MB) |
4. Surface functionalization of medical-grade polyvinyl chloride treated with ammonia plasmaRok Zaplotnik, Nina Recek, Gregor Primc, Andrej Gyergyek, Marián Lehocký, Alenka Vesel, Miran Mozetič, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Ključne besede: PVC polymer, ammonia plasma
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 20.02.2026; Ogledov: 414; Prenosov: 223
Celotno besedilo (7,28 MB)
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5. Recent endeavoring in biosurface and biointerface analysis with kinetic electrons and ionsOscar Malvar, Giacomo Ceccone, Paulina Rakowska, Miran Mozetič, Teresa Pinheiro, Miguel Manso-Silván, 2026, pregledni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Research in the field of biointerfaces is currently expanding because of continuous scientific demands stemming from different areas of biology and biomedicine. The most challenging questions require new technological advancements, often emerging from apparently distant disciplines, such as vacuum science and technology (VST). If living systems are characterized by their molecular diversity and scaled hierarchical structure, VST provides a palette of bioanalytical techniques designed to disentangle emerging complex biointerface structures. We review crucial developments in bioanalytical systems concentrating on those based on kinetic electrons and ions. Developments in these techniques are closing the vacuum gap between the conditions required for a sensitive analysis and the natural environment of the sample (near ambient pressure analysis). The biomedical field has been the focus of most of the reviewed developments, with an emphasis on recent research related to microbiological analysis. Additional examples from environmental applications, zoology or agriculture (among others) are also presented.
Ključne besede: biointerface analysis, ion spectromicroscopy
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 19.02.2026; Ogledov: 491; Prenosov: 195
Celotno besedilo (6,79 MB)
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7. Rapid oxidation of adsorbed organic impurities on stainless steel by treatment with diluted peroxynitric acidJernej Ekar, Miran Mozetič, Janez Kovač, Nina Recek, Satoshi Ikawa, Katsuhisa Kitano, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Stainless steel forms a native film of mixed metal oxides, and organic impurities are likely to adsorb on the surface upon exposure to ambient conditions. For many applications, oxides and impurities should be removed, and several techniques have been used for decades. An innovative method is presented in this paper. The organic impurities were oxidized using a water solution of 1 M peroxynitric acid (PNA). Stainless steel samples were immersed in the solution, and the oxidation of organic impurities was evaluated by the ultra-thin depth profiling using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). A minute of treatment with PNA caused oxidation of organic impurities and a decrease in the SIMS CN– signal over an order of magnitude. Prolonged treatment caused the selective removal of the native iron oxide film, leaving a protective film of chromium oxide. Removal of the iron oxide film was also observed when stainless steel was treated with 1 M HNO3. The PNA method is useful for routine cleaning of stainless steel to remove the organic contaminants from the surface and keep the passive chromium oxide film intact. It is ecologically friendly and enables rapid decomposition of the traces of organic impurities likely to be adsorbed on the metallic surfaces.
Ključne besede: peroxynitric acid, surface modifications, secondary ion mass spectrometry
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 11.11.2025; Ogledov: 554; Prenosov: 311
Celotno besedilo (1,14 MB)
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8. Hydrophilization of rice seeds by plasma treatments – super-hydrophilic surface finish and hydrophobic recoveryAlenka Vesel, Anca Macovei, Alma Balestrazzi, Dane Lojen, Gregor Primc, Rok Zaplotnik, Nives Ogrinc, Marián Lehocký, Miran Mozetič, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: The hydrophobic character of rice seeds protects them from quick water adsorption and, thus, premature germination. This property is, however, a drawback in modern agriculture, where rapid and uniform germination represents a high-quality trait. A method for rapid hydrophilization of the Lomello variety of rice is presented. The rice seeds were treated with low-pressure gaseous plasma to tailor the wettability. The treatment of seeds with hulls with oxygen plasma afterglow enabled the super-hydrophilic surface finish within 10 ms. Such extremely fast hydrophilization was attributed to irreversible surface oxidation by neutral oxygen atoms whose flux onto the seeds was approximately 3 × 1023 m−2s−1. Dehulled seeds were made super-hydrophilic by subsequent treatments with hydrogen and oxygen plasma, and the required dose of O atoms was between 2 × 1023 and 6 × 1024 m−2. Larger doses caused a loss of the super-hydrophilicity. Hydrophilization kinetics is proposed and supported by measuring surface wettability, morphology, and composition using various techniques. The hydrophobic recovery of seeds with hulls is marginal within the first few days after plasma treatments, but dehulled seeds lose the super-hydrophilic surface finish within a few minutes after the plasma treatment when stored at ambient conditions.
Ključne besede: rice seed, water adsorption, surface treatment, wettability, super-hydrophilicity
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 10.11.2025; Ogledov: 459; Prenosov: 299
Celotno besedilo (13,19 MB)
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9. Defluorination of polytetrafluoroethylene surface by hydrogen plasmaAlenka Vesel, Dane Lojen, Rok Zaplotnik, Gregor Primc, Miran Mozetič, Jernej Ekar, Janez Kovač, Marija Gorjanc, Manja Kurečič, Karin Stana-Kleinschek, 2022, samostojni znanstveni sestavek ali poglavje v monografski publikaciji Ključne besede: polytetrafluoroethylene, fluorine depletion, hydrogen plasma, VUV radiation, surface modification, hydrophilic
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 10.11.2025; Ogledov: 438; Prenosov: 249
Celotno besedilo (4,41 MB)
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